


Utter Darkness

by ElegantMess



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Bastardardization of Norse Mythology, Breathplay, Complete, F/M, Non-canon compliant after Avengers, Torture, misuse of prescription drugs, slight bloodplay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-17
Updated: 2014-04-01
Packaged: 2017-12-26 21:22:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 77,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/970434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElegantMess/pseuds/ElegantMess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She would dream of utter darkness, of someone writhing in absolute agony. She longed to comfort the poor person, she always woke up, sweaty, frightened, and sobbing; but every night she seemed to get a little closer. The tormented soul was there, just beyond her reach, her fingertips had brushed cloth and from the very visceral reaction, she knew two things, one it was definitely a he, and two, he seemed to be in more pain than she had even known.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Darkness

Utter darkness, the empty void, all he knew was pain and silence. For years, he seethed with rage, and impotent fury. The punishment was masterful, his lips sewn shut with the thread of Bestla, his hands, feet, and magic bound, he was cast into the void, a place where time ran differently and all the laws of the universe ceased to exist. Alone with only his thoughts, and a mental clock ticking away the years, he spent decades writhing in the torment of starvation and eternal darkness without the possible relief of death; such was his immortality. Centuries past as he justified his actions, and the multitude of deaths caused by his rebellion. When the first millennium, came and went he began to believe that he had gone mad, he could almost hear the voices of those he had wronged as they began pleading with him, pleading for release from their own personal purgatories. His actions had doomed souls and the darkness in him festered, he refused to accept his culpability in their torment while he still suffered his own. As the second millennium dawned, his defiance began to crack. The weight of his actions began to gnaw at his pride and self-righteous indignation. After, a third millennium, regret began to press so heavy upon him, he wondered if Odin’s plan had been to break him completely. Slowly, over the next few centuries he came to accept his responsibility for his actions and despair, for there seemed to be no relief for his torment. His pride shattered, his ego bruised, and his body broken, he began to pray, as he had not since his youth. Prayers not for mercy, he knew that ultimately he deserved this punishment, but for death for he would rather face the judgment and punishment of the afterlife than the hell of this half-life. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She was seriously considering going to see a shrink. In the seven months since the attempted invasion of New York, she felt like someone was watching her, like all the time. She knew that S.H.E.I.L.D. had her under surveillance, and that was really no biggie. She had got gotten used to that after their little godly encounter in Puente Antiguo. But in the last few weeks, her dreams had become terrifying as well. She would dream of utter darkness, of someone writhing in absolute agony. She could not see them, only sense that they were there just beyond her reach. She longed to comfort the poor person, but they seemed to be so very far away. There were muffled cries of torment, and she always woke up, sweaty, frightened, and sobbing; but every night she seemed to get a little closer. Last night had been the worst by far in the darkness, she could not see and she fought against the weightlessness that surrounded her. The tormented soul was there, her fingertips had brushed cloth and from the very visceral reaction, she knew two things, one it was definitely a he, and two, he seemed to be in more pain than she had even known. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The voices had quieted as he came to accept his punishment, and as it became penance instead of discipline, the voices ceased altogether. The constant ache of hunger never left him, and the lack of movement had withered his frame. He was but a dry husk, only his immortality kept him breathing. His prayers did not go unnoticed; as he hung there weightless in the dark void, he began to sense the presence of another. The first time he was so startled by the sound of a female voice calling out in the darkness that he could do nothing. His voice was badly damaged long ago in the first few decades when he still screamed his anger through the stitches sealing his mouth shut. There was a tremor in her voice; she was out of place somehow. She pleaded for help, called out trying to free herself from the void, and only calmed somewhat when she realized she was not alone. Shortly after she called out to him, she left the void; her presence was simply no longer there. Months passed and she returned, not as terrified but still scared. She spoke rapidly into the void repeating that it was just a dream and that she soon awaken safe in her bed. As a cramp passed through his weaken body he moaned, the anguished and pained sound of a wounded animal. In the darkness she turned, her voice now projecting towards him rather than away from him. She called out trying to get him to speak to her. He could hear her frantic movements as she attempted to draw closer to him; and then again, she was gone. It became a repeating pattern, every few months she would return. She spoke to him, trying to learn more about him as she fought against the weightlessness of the void, seeking to draw closer to him. Each visit she came just a little closer. He began to anticipate her return and questioned in his mind the meaning behind her presence. She was not Aesir, that much was obvious from her speech patterns. She was a mortal from Midgard, and her time in the void confused him. The void was a place of punishment for the worst criminals of the nine realms. On her last visit, she had come so close her fingertips had brushed the tattered material at his shoulder. The groan of pain that leaked out from behind his stitches had been deep and raw. She again disappeared. He knew she would return and knew his appearance would frighten her. He had received no nourishment, or hydration in millennia. While it was not required to keep him alive, a lack thereof had ruined his body. To his dismay, he realized he was ashamed of his reasons for his imprisonment and of his physical state.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She stayed up as late as she could force herself, her dream the previous night had felt so real; the tattered material under her fingertips so tangible that she expected to awake with it still clutched in her hand. Who was he? What did the dreams mean? Normally she didn’t go for all the hokey dream interpretation stuff that was really more her Mom’s shtick. She googled it; being in space was all about a representation of independent thinking, the stranger in her dream supposedly signified a part of her that was repressed or hidden, and pain could be a reflection of actual pain or could be a warning of a health problem. ‘Well crap’ she thought, that doesn’t help in the slightest. She drank a large coffee, played on tumblr, and watched a few episodes of Doctor Who from her box set; she even decided she should write a real letter to her Mom. About five sentences in, her forehead smacked painfully against the table as she startled awake. She had dozed off, it was after 3 a.m., and she couldn’t fight it anymore. She crawled into bed and was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When she returned she was silent. She floated so close to him, that if he were not bound hand and foot he could have reached and touched her with no difficulty. “Hello?” she spoke softly. He could only grunt in return. He could sense that she turned to face him. “Hey, are you alright? What’s wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked quickly. Again, he grunted in response. “Are you like mute or something? Well no of course not, duh Darcy. Okay are you hurt? Well again duh,” She reached out blindly, her fingertip brushed his cheekbone, and she flinched. “Oh my gosh!” His skin was dry and thin as paper, stretched over his sharp cheekbones. He pulled away with a moan of pain as she reached for him again. “You are hurt, ohmygosh, ohmygosh. Okay, how can I help you?” He groaned in frustration, there was no possible way she could actually do anything of benefit. She reached out again and he attempted to writhe away from her, her touch though gentle was agony, he had hung bound hand and foot in the weightlessness of the void for millennia, and even the mere brush of her fingertip was excessively painful. Her hands came to either side his face and gently began search blindly for injury. 

A raw moan of pain gargled in the back of his throat. Every nerve ending she had touched seemed on fire from the warmth of her hands. She drew back apologizing profusely. “Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh, I’m so sorry, I am so so sorry. I feel like I’m supposed to help you but how can I help you when I can’t even touch you without hurting you.” 

She continued to ramble on as he breathed heavily through his nose willing the pain away. As the searing agony of her touch faded, he realized a small amount of the pain that he had come to live with here had been relieved. The irony was not lost on him; he had to endure pain in order to relieve his suffering. He had to willing allow a Midgardian to hurt him to ultimately be healed. His pain had frightened her though. He knew she would not willingly touch him again, for fear of hurting him. He had faced battles before; he understood that such pain was often necessary, such as the pain of resetting a shoulder that was out of joint. But how to make her see this? They were both blind in this great darkness, and his mouth was stitched shut. Perhaps she could remove the stitches, in theory only the one who had placed them, could remove them, but she was an anomaly. He understood from her previous diatribes, that somehow, her Midgardian mind was here in corporeal form while she slept; though she believed this just to be a dream. Ahhh, but the power of a dreamer… 

He grunted at her to gain her attention, she stopped talking and reached towards him with a soft sad sound. He could tell her hand was just to the left of his face, his senses heightened from the long time in the darkness. Swallowing back the scream of pain, he pressed his mouth to her palm. Pain tore through his mouth as she jerked her hand away. “Holy frick on a stick! Your mouth’s sewn shut! What kind of monster would something like that? Okay so I need to figure out how to get that loose right?” As he struggled through the pain, she disappeared again. He muttered curses through the stiches into the darkness. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She stumbled through her apartment with bleary eyes, it was only 5 a.m. Glasses forgotten in her daze, she rifled still half-asleep, through the junk drawer in her kitchen. Clutching her prize, she shuffled to her couch, flopped down, and was fast asleep once more.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

His frustration spent, he hung limply and settled in to wait the intervening months till she would return. To hold the madness at bay and to keep his mind sharp, he returned his thoughts to the equations he had been trying to riddle out before she had arrived. It was then a great surprise that she returned only a few hours later. “Hey, I think I got something that might help. I don’t know how I did it but I was kinda half-asleep and I grabbed the seam ripper from the kitchen, and now somehow I’ve got it here. I don’t know though, it seems to hurt you every time I touch you, maybe you could do it?” She asked hopefully. He grumbled through the stitches.

“Okay I got no idea what that meant. How bout we try this, grunt once for no and twice for yes. Okay?” He sighed heavily ‘This is so demeaning’ he thought, finally though he grunted twice in response. “Good, okay now we’re getting somewhere. It hurts when I touch you, right?” Two grunts. “Can you remove the stitches by yourself?” One grunt. “You want me to try to remove the stitches?” Two grunts. “Are sure? I really don’t like hurting people and I think it’s probably really going to hurt…” He interrupted her rambling with two forceful grunts. “Okay, wow, never thought a grunt could sound so demanding.” 

He took a deep breath as she reached for his chin. Carefully feeling along the stitches, she found where they began and gently placed the seam ripper under the first stitch. “Okay, this is probably going to hurt like a lot so brace yourself.” He clenched his jaw against the pain, her touch did not burn him as badly as it had the last time but he knew if she were able to remove them, the agony would be terrible. “I’m going to count down from three and then pull okay?” He grunted twice impatiently. “Alright, let’s do this. Three… Two… One… pull!” As the thread snapped, an anguished moan slipped out. 

“Ohmygosh, I don’t know if I can do this.” Blood seeped slowly from where the first stitch hung loose. With steady even breaths, he forced himself to ignore the pain and grunted twice. “Really? You want me to keep going? Maybe we could just do like one stitch per night,” she whispered. He grunted once, he would much rather get it over and done with, there was always the remote possibility that she would not return. 

“Fine…” She placed the seam ripper under the first stitch on the other side of his mouth. “Okay same as before…” He clenched he jaw and determined not to cry out again. “Three… Two… One… pull!” He inhaled sharply through his nose, but did not make any other noise. She dropped her hands to her sides and he heard her mutter softly to herself. The thread was loose, now if she would just unlace the damn things he would be free to speak again instead of grunting like an animal. He grunted several times to gain her attention. She reached forward and gently placing her hands on his face felt for the ends of the thread. She then carefully began pulling the thread through the holes in his lips. His breathing came harsher because of the pain, and as her hands grew wet with blood, her fingers moved a little faster over his ragged skin. She quickly pulled the last stitch free and he yanked his face from her hands, and threw his head back as a primal scream tore from his mouth. He heard her flounder away from him sobbing.

Slowly the pain subsided, and he could hear her soft whimpers. “Thank you,” it was all he could manage, his voice was rough like the grind of rocks in a landslide, and his vocal cords burned even with those few words. He heard her sniffle a few times and then clear her throat as though she was going to respond but then she was gone again. His mouth was free, he began to laugh even though it pained him, it was a terrible and haunting sound that rang through the dark void. As his mind and heart calmed, he saw out of the corner of his eye a single delicate star…


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big spoilers for those who haven't seen Iron Man 3 yet. I tried to make it real obvious where it is so I hope I don't ruin anything for anybody. 
> 
> Also, this is my first foray into this fandom so I hope I can do it justice. I feel a little rushed on it. I'm sooo looking forward to Thor 2 Dark World and I want to finish this up before then, because whatever is in that movie will make this totally AU. 
> 
> Hope you guy like this, I don't have a beta so if you see any mistakes feel free to let me know.

“Damn,” she groaned as she awoke. She felt like she had a hangover. Her head was pounding, her body ached, she wasn’t in her bed, and she couldn’t remember how she’d gotten where she was. Squeezing her eyes shut to keep out the early morning light; she sat up carefully, trying not to jar her aching head. After a few moments her eyes adjusted a bit and she cracked one eye open. Her living room, well that explained why her back was achy; her couch was modern and trendy but definitely not good for sleeping on. Through bleary eyes, she glanced at the clock above her TV. “Shit shit shit! Jane’s gonna kill me!” She pushed herself up as quickly as she could manage and stumbled to the bathroom. The bright light over her mirror only added to her misery. With no time for a shower, she grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste and screamed.

Her hands were covered in blood. Suddenly it all rushed back to her, her attempts to stay awake the night before to avoid the dreams, the stitched up guy, finding the seam ripper, removing the stitches, and the blood, oh god the blood. She fell back against the door and sank to the floor of the bathroom as she fought the rising nausea. She was running late, she really didn’t have time to go into hysterics but she was having a hard time fighting it off. With a sudden burst of movement she was at the sink, hot water running, scrubbing manically at her hands. Surely, there was a cut or something to explain the blood, it was just a dream, it was just a dream, it was just a…

BANG, BANG, BANG, “Ms. Lewis, are you alright in there?”

“Yeah, just a sec Cap,” she called out. She grabbed a towel, ducked into her room to grab her glasses, and put them on as she hurried to the door.

Standing just outside her door with an anxious look on his face was Steve Rogers, Captain America himself. He looked over her head and into her apartment. “I heard you scream, what’s wrong?”

She stammered, “Hey Steve, I had a crazy nightmare, and I just realized I overslept, so I really gotta go get ready, but thanks for the concern.” She stepped back and moved to close the door but he grabbed her hands.

“And the blood?”

She looked down at her hands; there was still some blood on her hands and now the towel as well. “Umm, I grabbed a knife wrong when I was going cut open my bagel?” She offered weakly.

He carefully turned her hands over inspecting them. “I don’t see any cuts,” he said quietly. He gently pushed her out into the hallway and went into her apartment to check. Jane and Bruce came around the corner, and hurried down the short hallway towards her. She leaned heavily against the wall across from her door.

“Darcy, what’s wrong?” Bruce asked. She shook her head as tears clouded her vision. “Steve?” He called into her apartment.

When Steve came out, he was tense. “JARVIS, can you ask Stark to come down here please?”

The AI responded politely, “He has been informed of your request and is on his way down.”

“Thank you JARVIS,” he turned to Darcy. “Alright, you want to tell me what really happened?” He held out the bloody seam ripper. Tears flowed and she struggled to speak, to breathe. She shook her head. No, no. It couldn’t be real. It was just a dream, it was just a dream, it was just a dream. Black spots crept into her vision. No, no, no. Dreams aren’t real. She slid down the wall and blacked out.

“Back already?” a gravelly voice asked. She shook her head.

“Darcy… Darcy, come on wake up.” She blinked at Jane. She hovered over Darcy like a mother.

“Ungh,” she groaned intelligently. She was lying on her back on the floor in the hall. Jane, Bruce, Steve, and now Stark too were crowded around her.

“Oh, Auntie Em, I had a dream and you were there, and you, and you too.” She pointed at the guys surrounding her.

“Well, she must be doing better, the sarcasm is back.” Jane said with a wry grin. She sat up slowly and leaned against the wall.

“Hey guys…”

Stark held out the seam ripper, “Hey Lucy, you got some splainin to do…”

Jane shook her head, “Great, a pop culture snark off, Alright let’s at least let her get off the floor we can do this in the main room.” They all stood and made their way down the short hallway to the main room.

**(Look out! MAJOR SPOILERS for Iron Man 3)**

Shortly after Thor’s departure from Puente Antiguo, Stark had been in contact with Jane and there had been serious talks of collaboration, but then of course everything in New York had gone crazy. Jane had been sent to Tromso in the middle of the night, Erik had been mind-controlled by Senor Psychopath, and SHIELD had informed her that because of her connections with the events in Puente Antiguo, she worked for them. It ended up being a very temporary situation though. Stark’s Malibu home got blown up, Pepper got kidnapped, and so Stark blew up all of his suits, and had the glowy-thing removed from his chest. They both moved into Stark Tower in New York and Stark decided he wanted to focus on something entirely different.

**(Okay you’re safe now)**

Which brought them all here; Bruce was working with Stark on something completely unrelated. Steve, who was pretty much homeless after the Chitauri destroyed the part of New York he was living in, had moved in as well. Erik was unmind-controlled and working on some secret government stuff with SHIELD. Jane was at Stark Tower so often working crazy hours that moving in only made sense, and after finding out about Darcy’s predicament Jane talked Stark into working with SHIELD and making them let Darcy come work for Stark Industries too. So Stark and Pepper had the top three floors, after the R and D floors, and the next two floors down were arranged in to swanky apartments (courtesy of Pepper, of course). On the residential floors, there was a main room that spanned two stories. It was huge and open, set up like a living room with a few TVs and comfortable couches, and a nice kitchen in one corner.

So they all filed into the main room and sat, except for Stark who paced around the room. Darcy began to fidget as they all stared at her.

Jane started in, “Darcy…” 

“Just gimme a sec, okay?” she groaned. With a heavy sigh, she explained about the crazy dreams that had plagued her the last four weeks, about the stitched up guy and the seam ripper and to waking up with blood in her hands. “I just don’t get how it could have happened. I mean dreams are just dreams right?” She looked pleadingly around at the gob smacked faces surrounding her.

Tony Stark sat heavily in one of the chairs opposite her. “You know kiddo if it were April first I’d would’ve given you a prize for a great prank, but something about this rings true.”

“Of course it rings true! Why would I lie about this?” she whined indignantly.

“Oh, I don’t know maybe you need to cover up a murder or something.” He smirked and leaned forward invading Darcy’s personal space, reached under her glasses to force one eye open wider, and inspected her pupil.

She pushed roughly at his shoulders. “Hey, whoa, personal space dude!”

“There aren’t any signs of hallucinogenics.” He sat back in his seat with a humph. “Bruce?”

“Let’s look at this logically. Darcy says it was a very realistic dream; there are no cuts on her hands and no other evidence other than a bloody seam ripper. We test the blood on the seam ripper and have JARVIS record her as she sleeps.” Bruce rubbed at his eyes. “Look, this really isn’t my area of expertise; all I can do is offer suggestions. This is the kind of stuff that Betty and I went through to figure out what was going on with ‘the other guy’.” The rumpled scientist stood, rolled his shoulders, pulled out a hanky from his back pocket, and gestured for Stark to hand over the seam ripper. Stark dropped it into the handkerchief; Bruce gave a quick nod and left for the labs.

“Despite what everyone thinks to the contrary, I’m not really a perv, I don’t have any cameras hooked up in any of the apartments, so that’ll take a little rewiring.” Tony rubbed his hands together in glee. “But, this could so totally worth the extra few hours of work.” Stark cringed as Darcy rounded on him.

“No way! I will move out and go back to SHIELD but there’s no way I’m letting you hook up cameras in my rooms!” She turned to Jane pleading, “Help a sister out, please? I gotta a great big bed you could sleep with me tonight. I know you’re a real light sleeper, you could tell them if anything weird happens.”

Tony grinned, “Wow, Lewis, I didn’t know you swung that way, I really should…”

“Tony…” Jane growled, “…remember that sexual harassment clause that lets me out of our contract free and clear? The one that gives me all the rights to everything we’ve worked on together?” Tony paled a bit. “You’re getting dangerously close to a line you don’t want to cross.” She turned to Darcy. “I’m sure we can figure something out, if you don’t mind that I tend to hog the covers and that I toss and turn a lot.”

“Thank you so much,” Darcy gushed.

“You guys are real buzz kills you know that? Fine no cameras.” Tony stood to follow Bruce’s exit. “But, this is still my Tower; if I think anything dangerous is going on here I reserve the right to protect the people in this building, even if I’m protecting them from themselves.” Tony stalked out of the room.

During the whole conversation, Steve had been quietly observing. “It’s kind of odd, but this time I find myself agreeing with Tony. The camera wasn’t a bad idea Ms. Lewis.” Steve stood and left without another word.

The rest of the day was spent working on data transfer and other menial tasks as Jane and Tony went nose to nose on some science detail that flew right over Darcy’s head. She was fairly certain the detail wasn’t all that important but both Jane and Tony were still ticked the disagreement earlier. When the two of them worked as a team everything was awesome, Jane’s work with Stark was all focused on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge. SHEILD had discovered the reason that Thor hadn’t returned was because somehow the bi-frost thingy got broken. So Darcy helped out as much as she could, while the real brains, Jane and Stark, did the important stuff.

Later that evening when they finally finished the work for the day Jane and Darcy headed down to Darcy’s apartment. Dinner was Ramen noodles again, Yeah! The day had been so normal that she had almost forgotten about the drama her dreams had caused, except as the night wore on, she became more and more anxious. As Darcy went through the motions of her bedtime routine, washing her face, brushing her teeth, donning her pjs, fear began to creep up on her. The whole, it’s a dream but it’s more than a dream thing, was freaky as hell.

She wanted to help him, she’d always had a thing for helping wounded creatures; a baby bird that fell out of its nest, a squirrel with a missing tail, the fawn lost in the woods behind her house, a stray dog with some really nasty scratches. Time and time again, her mom had to call animal control to have them take care of the animals when Darcy had taken on more than she could handle. She had scars from the worst occurrence. The stray dog hadn’t wanted help or anyone near it for that matter. Her left forearm had borne the brunt of the attack; it had required about thirty-five stitches and almost three months of physical therapy. Something about this guy gave her the same vibe as the dog. He was hurt, and he seemed more dangerous for it.

She grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and checked with Jane before she went off to bed. Jane was still sitting at her kitchen table working out a few more details for the test she wanted to run on her new equipment in the morning. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Which was Jane speak for an hour or so.

“Don’t you think the guys’ll be mad if you’re not watching me?” Darcy grinned, when Jane was busy with astrophysicist stuff nothing else mattered.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine, like I said just a few more minutes.” And when Jane looked down at her notebook Darcy knew she was gone again, her mind sucked into whatever problem she was trying to figure out.

She laid her glasses on her bedside table, crawled under her covers, and stared at the blurry ceiling tiles. It was so weird, she wanted to help the guy, but also she was way freaked out because it should have simply been a dream, but then again it was far more. As she lay there, she was overwhelmed by questions. Who was he? Why was his mouth stitched up? Why was she there? Was she going crazy, was it all in her head? Was it a dream or was it real? She giggled at herself… “Of course it is happening inside your head Darcy, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” Okay, Dumbledore quotes, really not helping right now. She rolled over clutching the water bottle a little tighter. She took a deep calming breath, counting backwards from 250 by sevens (her mom’s trick), she got to 166 before her mind was too muddy to realize she fallen asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_She took a deep calming breath, counting backwards from 250 by sevens (her mom’s trick), she got to 166 before her mind was too muddy to realize she fallen asleep._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~

“159, 152, 145, … 13…8, … … 1…3…1”

“Odd greeting, 124?” His gravelly voice cut through her and she gasped. “Hello Darcy.”

His voice sent shivers down her spine, ‘Hot damn, even his voice sounded dangerous!’ He had a kinda British accent and the way he said her name was wicked. The growly rasp of his voice was low and animalistic. It gave her all kinds of butterflies. “Bad thoughts, Darcy bad thoughts, change the subject!’ “Hey, how you feeling?” She asked softly.

“My throat is parched, and my shoulders ache.” He paused for a moment. “Who are you? Why are you here? What is your purpose here?” he growled. He wanted answers, she confounded him, and he wanted the truth. He focused on the sounds of her movements, on the sounds of her breathing. He could not see her, but even in blindness the god of lies, could sense truth or falsity. The single distant star provided no light of consequence; it merely served as a reference point in the darkness.

“I’m nobody really, but I guess I already told you my name is Darcy. As for why I’m here, I really don’t know. At first, I thought this was all a dream, but now I’m not so sure. I woke up with blood on my hands, your blood.” Her mouth opened and closed a few times, as though she struggled to find the right words. “Like I said before, I feel like I’m here to help you, but I’m really not sure how.”

“You have already helped immensely, by releasing the stitches that bound my mouth.” He grinned, though his lips were still healing and it burned a bit. “I don’t suppose you have any skill at picking locks, do you?”

“What, why would you need something like that?” she stuttered.

He rattled the bonds behind him. “I am bound,” he answered simply.

Fighting the weightlessness, she flailed around until she was behind him. Carefully she reached out trying not to jar him, and tested his restraints. His arms were pulled back behind him. There were thick metal cuffs on his wrists, chained to a pole that held his hands about a foot apart. The top pole was connected to two other poles, in the shape of a capital letter i. The bottom pole held his feet about a foot apart as well, ending with chains that bound each ankle in a thick metal cuff like the ones on his wrists. Somebody really didn’t want this guy getting loose. She worked her way back around to the front of him. Her voice was soft and timid, “Why are you bound?”

He was quiet as he contemplated his answer. He hated being reliant on anyone, but now he found himself completely at her mercy. She was from Midgard, one of the realms he had attacked. Though it had been millennia since the attack, her people may still carry anger and hatred towards him. The truth would have her seeking retribution instead of the kindness she seemed wont to bestow on him now. A lie seemed far more prudent. “I was captur…” but the words froze in his throat causing him to gag and cough, a terrible rasping sound.

“Oh my gosh,” she gasped. “Here, I brought water; I thought you might be thirsty.”

He pulled away in panic, his throat closing up as he tried to lie to say that he was fine.

“No you’re not fine,” she barked, and grabbed hold of his shoulder, her grip so sharp it nearly brought tears to his eyes. “Hey,” He continued to thrash around. “HEY!” she shouted. He finally went still. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay, just calm down and drink some water and we’ll talk about it. I’m sure whatever’s going on can’t be all that bad.” She said soothingly.

Her grip gentled and her hand slid up from his shoulder to his neck, her thumb resting lightly at the corner of his lips. He allowed her to pour some of the water into his mouth. The cool water soothed his raw and aching throat. He could feel as the water rushed through his system healing and refreshing him. He moaned in pleasure as he felt some relief to the constant ache that had plagued him for millennia. She gave him another drink, and he could feel his body rehydrating. He felt renewed. The water seemed to heal him far more the few sips that she had given him should. He pulled away from her, “What magic is this?”

“What are you talking about? It’s just water.” But as she thought about it, his voice sounded different, the heavy rasp was gone and as he spoke, his voice wrapped around her like the smoothest satin.

“That is far more than water, I feel rejuvenated. Who are you really, and what have you done?” He hissed softly, but it seemed far more sinister than had he yelled.

“I didn’t do anything I swear! It’s just water!” she insisted.

He could sense her trepidation but also her honesty. As far as she was aware, it was truly just water that she shared with him. Perhaps it was nothing to do with the water but with the girl herself then. Her touch though painful, healed him, and the simple water she offered him renewed him. Her fear was detrimental to her continued assistance though, he needed to reassure her. “My apologies, my lady,” he purred. “I have been lied to in the past, and I merely sought the truth. I can see now you have spoken the truth. Are you a healer?”

She snorted, “Me, a healer? No way, I’m just a lab assistant.” He had some serious mood swings, and it felt like he was trying to avoid the question. “So why are you bound?”

The god of lies found himself incapable of lying; each attempt caused his tongue to stick to the roof of his mouth. The lie gagged him; he choked on the attempt. He coughed and gagged and she offered him another drink of water. His head drooped. “I am a criminal, and I am bound for my crimes,” he finally whispered feeling defeated.

“How long have you been bound like this? What could you have done to deserve a punishment like this?” She reached toward him and gently laid her hand on his cheek. “Your skin is so cold,” she whispered almost as an afterthought.

As it had last time, her touch was like fire on his cold flesh; though it burned, it also soothed him. Her tenderness surprised him. “I have been bound for over three thousand years.”

She gasped and pulled back. “How is that possible? Your mouth was stitched shut; you would have starved to death.”

Her retreat brought both comfort and pain. While the release of the searing warmth of her hand was a relief, the fact that she recoiled from him, hurt in a way he was unfamiliar with. “I am not human. I am of As…” His tongue stuck, “I am from Jot…” again his tongue stuck. She gave him another drink as he contemplated his answer. He was confused, he could understand that part of his punishment would be to prevent him from lying, but why then could he not tell her where he was from? “I am not human; I do not require nourishment to live.”

She was quiet for a long time as she thought about what he said. When she spoke, he could hear the hesitation in her voice. “What did you do? What was so terrible that you’ve hung here in this, this dark void, trussed up like this, with your mouth sewn shut, for three thousand freaking years? I can’t think of anything awful enough to deserve this.”

He slowly told her his tale though he was incapable of using any names, names of the realms, of the All-Father, Thor, Frigga, not even his own name. His story came out haltingly, as he had to try several different ways to explain. “There are many different planets, and from the beginning there was one that considered itself greater than all the others. About four thousand years ago, another planet decided to take over a third planet. The first planet came to the aid of the third. Defeating the people of the second planet on the third, the war followed the second planet’s people back to their home. The people of the first planet came to the second planet and completed their victory over the people of the second planet. The king of the first planet took the second planet’s greatest weapon. While on the second people’s planet, the king found an abandoned infant, the bastard son of the second people’s king. The second people were a monstrous race, and the infant was small and so, seen as unfit to live. So the king took the infant and raised him as his own, the boy was only a few years younger than the king’s first-born, and so the boys grew up together, neither knowing the younger boys true origin.

As the boys grew the elder brother was big, strong, and brave and the younger was small for his age and though very clever and a skilled strategist, he was physically weaker than others his own age. In a society that prized strength and valor the younger son was seen as pitiful and was mocked. He lived always in the shadow of a brother that loved him immensely but in a world that would never accept the strengths of the mind as opposed to the strengths of the body.” He took a deep breath and she gave him another drink of water. He hated his own history, and the fact that he needed to tell her about it, galled him. He needed her help though and from her rapt attention he knew that revealing this to her was one way to gain her sympathy and his sad story might gain him his ultimate end, freedom.

“My history was not always pleasant. My saga was affected by those who sought to use me for their own gain. When we were grown men the truth about my parentage came out in the worst possible way and at the worst possible time. I had always felt ostracized and I went mad. The people of the first planet considered the people of the second planet to be monsters, and raised their children with that belief. I had been raised to believe that the second race was monsters, and so I believed myself to be a monster, and set out in my madness to prove just how monstrous I could be. Regicide, patricide, fratricide, and genocide all these things did I attempt in the madness that ensued. All told when I was finally captured almost two years later, there were almost a thousand deaths caused by my actions, the man whom I had once called brother had nearly been counted amongst the dead, and the king of the second planet, my true father was dead. And so by the decree of the man I once called father, I was bound and my mouth sewn shut. His words were ‘The boy I once knew is dead. What remains is a creature I do not recognize.’ Had it not been for the woman who raised me, he would have likely put me to death. She begged for my life and so instead he cast me here into the void, where I have remained for some 3,250 years.” He took a ragged breath and she gave him a drink of water. Her compassion surprised him.

“Whoa, dang dude. I don’t even know what to say, that’s all kinds of messed up.” She sighed heavily. “Just a heads up, I’ve been here for a while so I’m probably gonna wake up soon. I can’t pick a lock but I might be able to find some bolt cutters. However, right now I’m kinda under surveillance. My friends freaked out when I woke up with blood on my hands. As for all the rest, I don’t even know I mean betrayal and mental illness are big contributing factors here, but wow, you didn’t just go Columbine, you went 9/11. This is really big.”

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to…”

“Oh, yeah sorry earth stuff. Look, I don’t know if I should help you. You told me all about all this terrible stuff you did, and I heard a lot of excuses but not really any regret. And don’t tell me how sorry you are now cause it’s not gonna feel genuine. I’m not bringing the bolt cutters till I know I’m not making a huge mistake by helping you. I need to know if I can trust you…” she floundered. “What’s your name?”

As he tried to speak, his tongue locked tight, no matter what name or pseudonym he tried to give her all he could do was cough and gag. “My apologies again my lady, but it appears that I am forbidden to tell you my name, every time I try to tell you my name my throat closes up.”

“Hmm, not really helping with the whole trust thing. How do I know you’re not lying?”

“When I try to lie or revel anything to you that might give away my identity, I gag on my own tongue. It’s quite the fitting punishment for someone once known for their ability to lie, and to manipulate with words.”

“So is that why your story was so vague?” She smirked, she enjoyed the back and forth with him.

“Yes, it appears that complete anonymity, is my punishment for my desire for prominence.” She was certain that had he not been bound his arms would be crossed in front of him and he was probably pouting. “However you may be able to guess my name.” He offered almost as an afterthought.

“Oh wait, I know this one! Your name is…” she paused for dramatic effect, “Rumpelstiltskin!” she dissolved into a fit of the giggles.

“You are very strange, and that is not my name.”

“Oh come on, it was meant as a…” she vanished and in her wake, there were two new stars.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“…joke. Awww, dangit!” she grumbled. She rolled over and found the other side of the bed empty; it looked like Jane had never come to bed at all. She laid there in the quiet and thought about everything he had said. He was an alien and he was a criminal. She was seriously thinking about helping a guy who had caused almost a thousand deaths. But, then again, he had been punished for over three thousand years for it, and his punishment, especially the part about his mouth being sewn shut and so no food or water for the whole time, definitely fell under of the category of cruel and unusual. She was sure they didn’t even go that medieval in medieval times. It seemed like what she always imagined purgatory to be like. She had been raised Catholic, though she wasn’t sure what she believed in anymore. Meeting an alien that ancient people thought of as the god of thunder kinda had a weird effect on blind faith.

One thing she was sure of though, she was probably going to keep having these quasi-dreams and whether she helped him or not, she wasn’t telling anyone else about it. They already thought she was weird enough. She smiled up at the blurry ceiling tiles. The alien criminal, was hers, they were connected somehow, and even if all she ever did was talk to him in her dreams for the rest of her life, even if she never helped him to get free, this was hers. Her one little bit of something that no one else had, or could do. There had to be some reason that she was being drawn to him. She sat up and put on her glasses, next to her on the bed was the half-empty water bottle, and it was still sealed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The stars were an interesting development. Did they mean something or were they unimportant? He wasn’t certain of anything anymore. She was a simple Midgardian mortal; her touch burned yet it also healed him. She offered him water and it renewed him. She came to him in her dreams and yet was as corporeal as he was. She surprised him; he thought for certain his tale of woe would sway her to his side. He could not lie, but he still had his silvertongue, truth could be manipulated. Mortals were usually so easy to sway but she held her ground, she was not convinced simply by his tale that he was truly a changed man.

As he hung there, he thought about it. Was he a changed man? The blinding fury at the All-Father’s betrayal no longer gnawed at him. He did regret his actions though he had not had the opportunity to speak about it with the girl. In the last few centuries, he had come to accept that though he still despised the way Odin had handled everything, he could see the All-Father’s reasoning. The burning desire for vengeance had fizzled out, and all in all, he felt hollow. Only the girl’s presence soothed him, and now he had months to wait till he would see her again.


	4. Chapter 4

Where the hell was Jane? Darcy got up, went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and her hair. Morning routines finished, she headed out to the kitchen to make some coffee. Jane was hunched over the table scribbling away like a mad woman, with one hand fisted in her hair. Darcy waited for the coffee to finish and poured Jane a cup. Jane could be a real grouch without her morning joe. Sliding the cup in front of her, Darcy began to wonder if the woman had slept at all. “Jane?”

Jane didn’t look up, she just continued with her calculations. “Yeah, yeah just a few more minutes. No coffee. You know if I drink it this late at night I’ll never get any sleep.” She wrote a few more numbers, glanced up to the top of her page and grinned in triumph.

“Um, hello. It’s not late it’s early you’re not going to get any sleep anyway.”

“What?” Jane looked up in surprise, “Oh my god, well at least it was a productive night. I finished that stubborn algorithm that I’ve been fighting for the last three days. Now I’ll be able to use the new equipment Tony and I created.” She yawned and gave Darcy a weary smile. “How about you? Any weird dreams about a dark void and creepy stitched up guys?” She gratefully began sipping at the hot coffee.

“Nope, just regular dreams about guys with sexy British accents with a little side of bondage.” Darcy winked and pulled out a box of cereal. “Hungry?”

Jane laughed. “Yeah I guess. Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t come to bed last night, with dreams like  that you might have gotten a little gropey-feely with me.” She stood and stretched her cramped back. As she worked out the kinks in her sore muscles, she stepped around Darcy and pulled the milk out of the fridge. Darcy put out the bowls and spoons and they sat down together. “Oh and by the way, TMI!” They broke out in laughter, and that was the last time Jane asked about the weirdness of Darcy’s dreams for a long time.

Both Stark and Steve grilled Darcy and Jane about Darcy’s dreams off and on again, for the next couple of weeks. Darcy was always careful about her answers, not too far from the truth so it would be easy to remember what she had told them. Jane stayed in her apartment for about a week and when nothing seemed to be happening, Steve and Stark finally backed off. 

She continued to have the dreams though, and her dream visits fell into a regular pattern. At first, she would try to guess his name, though usually that didn’t last long. She never even seemed to get close, and her inability to figure it out seemed to annoy him. They would trade playful insults, she was glad to find someone who could match her in sarcasm. She always brought him a bottle of water and she would give him drinks from it periodically. He told her vague stories of his childhood and she told him of the inanities of her life, her childhood, the silly things she did as a rebellious teen, and her time in college. She was careful though, the fact that he had been a criminal at one time did not escape her. She never spoke of the names of her co-workers, or of where she worked specifically.

On her third dream visit after she had removed the stitches, she noticed the stars. They talked about it, and it seemed the number of stars doubled after each time she visited. Within a week, there were more than she felt like counting, though he informed her, the number continued to double. Though the stars were numerous, they were quite distant and provided very little light. By the end of the second week, the light was dim but she could see his outline. It was like looking through the dark in her apartment, enough light to make things somewhat visible but only just. He was tall, probably well over six foot, and very lean. His hair was black, tangled, and fell to about his shoulders. He wore what looked like LARPing clothes, like straight out of a renaissance fair. A white tunic laced all the way up to his throat, what looked like black leather pants, and black boots. His skin was different; it was dark, the color didn’t look human (though it was hard to tell in the dark) and he was scarred, like one of the tribal people on National Geographic. His bone structure was enviable, if he had a little more meat on his bones. As it was, he was painfully thin. She offered to bring him food but neither of them was certain how food might affect him in his emaciated state. They talked a bit more that visit and shortly before she left, he asked her again about the bolt cutters. She gave him the same response as she always did, that she’d think about it and she said goodbye as she felt herself waking up. She sat up in bed that morning and realized that if she could see him then he could see her. She usually only wore a tank top and boy short panties to bed. Well, that was going to have to change.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Merciful Odin, the woman was a torment, a pleasant torment, but a pain in the ass nonetheless. He shook his head; he was even picking up some of her speech patterns. She seemed reluctant to touch him, she did so only as much as she had to help him drink. She continued to visit him, and they were slowly learning more about each other though she only seemed wont to share trivial banalities. The stars multiplied after each of her visits and when she arrived the last time, he was surprised to see she wore very little clothing. She was short; standing beside him the top of her head would likely barely reach his shoulder. Her dark hair was thick and wavy, her eyes bright and expressive. There was not quite enough light to see the colors but he thought perhaps her eyes might be blue. She was vibrant and full of life. She was sarcastic and completely unafraid of him. She always brought him water and it was a welcome relief. They debated about the meaning of the stars and the reasons behind her presence. They never came to any real solutions but the banter was enjoyable. She was intriguing. Her reluctance to touch him disappointed him. Her gentle touch upon his cheek was…

Damn, he was waxing poetic about some foolish Midgardian mortal. Her lifespan would be but a few more decades and then she would fade away. She was young now but, he did the numbers in his head, she had been visiting him every few months for almost ten years now. Though that didn't seem right... He shook his head, he needed to focus on how to make her bring the bolt cutters. His magic had been bound and he had no idea how to leave this confinement. Did Odin know of her presence? Would the All-Father have permitted her help otherwise? If the girl did bring the bolt cutters, would the release of his hands return the use of his magic? If Odin did not know he would likely not approve, would she be in danger from the All-Father's wrath? So many questions and not nearly enough answers…  

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She hurried through her day anxious to return to bed and to visit him again. She debated about what to sleep in; it took her nearly as long to pick out pj’s as it would normally take to get ready for a date. She shook her head, this was ridiculous. He was just a guy she visited in her dreams. Her dream guy… Tall, dark, and snarky, the bad boy… Oh hell.

What if it was really all in her mind, what if it was all a big cosmic joke? Ha ha ha no alien criminal, Darcy’s the loser waiting in a prom dress on her front porch for the asshole quarterback who never showed, again.

He was real, He Is Real!!! She pulled on her comfortable yoga pants and a simple long sleeve t-shirt. He was real, and he was not her date, he was a convicted criminal serving disproportionately long sentence for his crimes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The number of stars had doubled yet again, and now she could truly see him. He was blue. Okay so that was different, she knew she was staring but she couldn’t help herself. Alien and all that, but the blue surprised her, like Megamind or the aliens from Avatar, or an honest to god Smurf. He was blue. “Hi,” she whispered.

“What, why are you looking at me like that?” he growled, her stare was unnerving.

Holy crap his eyes were blood red, not just the whites, but his whole eye, pupil, iris, and everything. “Umm, you’re blue. It’s not a problem or anything it just surprised me.” She rambled quietly.

He tried to turn away from her as he grumbled in some guttural language, she was pretty sure that the grumbles were alien curses.

“Hey, don’t worry about it, it doesn’t bother me.or anything. I’ve watched plenty of movies about aliens with different colored skin it just surprised me that’s all.” She gently laid her hand on his cheek to make him turn towards her. “Hey really, it doesn’t matter.” She insisted.

“Do not touch me,” he demanded. She pulled back immediately with a hurt look. “I am a monster.” He turned away from her again, anger tearing through him, he shouted at void. “You could not even leave me this one mercy? You have stripped me of everything, my magic, my title, my place in any world but this void, and you take even this? I have nothing you have taken even my diginity. I am but the monster you created me to become! Damn you Odi…” His throat seized up and he struggled in his rage. He choked, and gagged, and fought. He could see the girl watching him, her eyes wide with concern. Her compassion only infuriated him further.

She watched as he raged at his jailers. His reactions reveled so much. The blue must be native to the second planet he talked about and he must not usually look like that. So what? She frowned, he was raging like a great big blue toddler, “Hey!” she shouted, trying to get his attention. He continued to fight and rage against the restraints and against his own closed up throat. She grew tired of his tantrum, opened the water, and flicked some of it at his face. He turned on her and she was glad he was still bound. At the moment he looked every bit the monster he claimed to be. “Hey, you know what? This isn’t getting you anywhere. You’re going to end up choking on your own tongue if you don’t calm the fuck down!” she ordered.

His eyes grew wide and as the water dripped down his face, some of the fight drained out of him. She carefully approached him and gave him a drink of the water to help calm his aching throat.

“Look, I don’t know what your problem with being blue is. It’s a nice shade and truth be told blue has always been one of my favorite colors." She used the end of her sleeve to wipe the water off of his face. "I get that you don’t like looking like that but that’s not really a reason to have an overgrown temper tantrum. I mean you’re what like four thousand years old, right? You’re a little old to be acting like a toddler.” She glared at him, but he seemed to be calming down. “Do you want to talk about it?” He glared right back at her. “Okay whatever, Mr. Grumpy-butt.” She was quiet as she thought about how her mom used to deal with her little brother when he had a tantrum. A huge smile lit up her face as she remembered her favorite way her mom used to get her brother out of the worst of his bad moods.

His expression changed quickly from stubborn sulky pout to wary and a bit unsure as she moved closer to him with a large toothy smile.

“I think someone needs a hug,” she said in a singsong voice. He flailed a bit as he tried to pull away from her, but she caught him anyway. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest. He thrashed around for a little while making small noises of protest, and finally grew still. Very still, he held himself in a rigid way as she continued to hug him. She could hear his heart thudding away in his chest and his rapid breathing. His tunic was thin and his skin was so cold. She curled around him as much as his stiff posture would allow. She drew in a deep breath, he smelled like leather, and wood smoke, and something that reminded her of cold, snowy days.

He was silent and unyielding, as if he’d never been hugged just for the sake of being hugged. She tried to pour all of her compassion into the hug. This was a guy who hadn’t felt cared for in a very long time. Three thousand, two hundred fifty years was a really long time to be alone. He had been punished because he went crazy but that kind of solitude was enough to drive the most normal person nuts. The more she thought about it, the more it began to bother her. He had been brought as a baby to a different world, raised to think the people of his home world were monsters, and then when he turned into a ‘monster’ the very people he was raised with turned on him. There was no negating the terrible things he had done but he had been punished for it. He needed someone to care for him, to be his advocate.

As she held him, she did something she hadn’t done in ages. She began to pray, to whatever deity was out there, to whomever held the universe together. She prayed that his sanity would hold together, that he would understand that she was there for him and that she could truly be the one he needed in this crazy time in his life. Slowly his heartbeat seemed to even out, his breathing became even and steady, and his body seemed to relax. She began to wonder if he’d fallen asleep. She looked up to see him gazing down at her, looking so lost, so vulnerable it brought tears to her eyes.

Who was this woman? To see him lost to madness and yet rather than cower away in fear she reached out to him in compassion. There was such genuine care in her expression; the tears in her eyes were nearly his undoing. “My lady,” his voice wavered and he cleared his throat. “My lady it seems I will forever be apologizing to you. My outburst was terrible and uncalled for, and I thank you for your tenderness.” She smiled at him through the tears and laid her hand upon his cheek.

Her voiced cracked as she whispered, “You needed it, and I’m more than happy to help. Please don’t worry about the blue,” He flinched a bit. “I think it’s a really nice color. And by the way, I think you’re way too good looking to be considered a monster.” He blinked in astonishment. She gasped and pulled away from him suddenly. “Ohmygosh! It hurts you when I touch you. Are you alright, no wonder you tried to pull away. And you were so stiff, ohmygosh, ohmygosh, I am so sorry. Are you okay I really didn’t mean to…”

“I am fine,” he laughed a bit. “Really my lady if I had been in any true pain I would have let you know.” He laughed softly.

She crossed her arms and mock glared at him, “You’re laughing at me.”

“No, not really, it’s just in all of this, when I have behaved so abominably, your concern is my welfare. It would have been understandable for you to pull away and desire to never come near me again, yet you choose to reach out and show compassion.” He took a deep breath. “I have not explained this before. Yes, your touch pains me,” She had a terrible wounded look on her face. “It hurts at first. It’s as if all of my nerve endings were deadened by the years of being unused. At first touch, they seem on fire and as they begin to become used to sensation again, your touch comforts and soothes.” She relaxed and smiled at him.

“I’m glad, that I can help you, I just wish I knew your name.” She laid her hand on his cheek again and stared up into his eyes. “I will figure out your name, I promise. It’s almost time for me to go. I am so glad it’s the weekend. I’m going to spend all day making up a list of names and when I come back tonight I’m going to figure out your name.” She grinned widely expecting his smile in response, but he seemed lost in his thoughts like Jane did sometimes when she was working on a particularly difficult equation. “Hey, did you hear me?”

His voice was strange as he looked at her oddly. “Did you say tonight?”

“Umm, yeah, I’ve been coming here every night for about six weeks. Why what’s going on?”

“It’s only been six weeks for you?”

“Yeah that’s what I just said.” She felt the subtle shiver that ran up her spine that she’d come to associate with waking up. “Hey, it’s all good! I’ll see you tonight!” she said brightly as she disappeared.

He stared off in the distance and thought back, As Odin had readied the spell to cast him in to the void Frigga had said something about time… what was it? She had leaned close… she was whispering about how much she loved him, how not to lose his mind in the blackness, to not let the darkness consume him from the inside or the outside, but there was also something about time. In the moment he was so angry he ignored her. Odin was casting a spell and he was trying to figure out how to undo it. Odin’s spell would place a clock in his mind so he would know every minute of his imprisonment. But what had Frigga said? His mind raced as he struggled to remember. The clock in his mind seemed to tick ever louder and he felt overwhelmed by the sound. He screamed until he was hoarse into the empty space surrounding him.

“Time runs differently in the void, there is no equation to match the time spent there with the time spent here. Trust your instincts, my beloved son.” 


	5. Chapter 5

Bang… bang… bang…

Darcy woke up with a groan, what the crap? Why did she feel like she had a hangover again? The last time she felt like that was… the night she removed his stitches. Hmm… So something about her helping him gave her a hangover magnitude headache. But it wasn’t every time. What was the difference?

 She groaned as someone pounded on her door again. “Darcy, come on get up!” Jane shouted.

“I don’t wanna, and you can’t make me!” She shouted back and then groaned again. Noise bad for headache. Must find extra strength Tylenol. She got up put on her glasses and stumbled to the bathroom to raid the medicine cabinet.

Jane pounded on the door again, “If you don’t open this door soon I’m gonna get JARVIS to open it for me!”

“Damn, what’s her problem? It’s fricking Saturday.” She grumbled as she tossed back a few more Tylenol than was strictly necessary. “Gimme a minute!” she shouted back to Jane. She splashed a little cold water on her face to wake herself up. Looking up into the mirror, she would have guessed by her appearance that she’d gone several nights without sleep.

“JARVIS will you please unlock Darcy’s door for me?” Seriously, what the hell?

“I’m sorry Ms. Foster, but Ms. Lewis has overridden my protocols in regards to her room and I am currently unable to assist you with your request.” The AI politely responded. Darcy laughed at Jane’s frustrated groan.

“Darcy if you don’t open this door in less than one minute, I’m going to shout your full name for everyone and I mean _everyone_ , to hear.” Jane threatened.

 Darcy mumbled curses on Jane as she practically dragged herself through the apartment to the door. “What the hell, woman? Be using my middle name as blackmail?” she growled as she threw open the door to find Jane grinning at her like a maniac.

“We did it! Tony and I, we did it! We got a message to Asgard! We’re working on a few more pieces of equipment, the last few calculations, and Tony’s gotta create an ARC Reactor for it, but we should theoretically be able to create the Einstein-Rosen Bridge in about four weeks!” Jane pushed past Darcy and was practically vibrating with excitement. “Don’t you see? All of the time, all the research, and work, just four more weeks!”

Darcy looked over at her clock, it was 5 a.m. Jane was nearly dancing around the room. “You pulled another all-nighter, didn’t you?” Jane nodded vigorously. “What time did you guys get the message through?”

“It was about 3:30 this morning.” Jane smiled brightly.

“Well at least you waited till a decent hour to wake me.” She rolled her eyes.

Darcy walked to her kitchen to start the coffee; this could be awhile. “Alright, alright, you look like you’re going to bust at the seams. Go ahead, what was the message?”

“It had to be real simple, we used one of Tony’s old reactors, and we didn’t have the power for a long message. Tony’s pretty sure SHIELD is gonna bust us for it, but you know better to ask forgiveness than permission. Heimdall is the gatekeeper so I said, ‘Hello Heimdall, this is Jane Foster of Earth, we’re working a version of a bi-frost, and we’re sending a test message. Message: The people of Earth send their greetings to Asgard, and all her people. Thank you Heimdall. Oh and by the way, if you could tell Thor I miss him. Okay, that’s all.’ That was the message.” Jane grinned like a mad woman.

“Alright, tell me the rest.” Darcy sighed and Jane gushed about all the science-y details, as Darcy made them both a cup of coffee and joined her at the table. As Jane continued to go on and on about stuff Darcy only half understood she realized how much data entry and other stuff was going to have to be done in the next few weeks and sighed, at least the caffeine and the Tylenol were kicking in. However, there went all her long hours with her hot blue alien criminal.  “That’s a lot of stuff to do in just four weeks Jane. It’s gonna mean a lot of late nights, long weekends and we may even have to pull a few all-nighters. Wouldn’t be a better idea not to rush it and maybe try for five or six weeks instead?”

Jane stared at her like she’d just sprouted a second head. “Creating a stable Einstein-Rosen Bridge could be one of man-kind’s greatest achievements. Come on Darcy, we’re on the edge of doing something amazing, and you’re whining about a little lost sleep?”

One look told Darcy that this was not about the science and accolades, but about Jane’s need to see Thor. “Okay, I promise I won’t say another thing about lost sleep, but I just gotta put this out there, my Mom used to tell me when I was little that ‘A hasty job is a botched job.’ I know you’re way excited about this but please promise me no more tests until everything’s been double and triple checked?”

Jane popped out of her chair and began pacing. “Oh my god this is so exciting! Just four more weeks, four more weeks!” She was wringing her hands as she muttered about all the things she had to work on. She abruptly stopped her nervous pacing, and glanced at Darcy with a pleading look. “Oh hey Darcy, I kinda forgot to mention…”

It clicked right before Jane said it, “Shit, you guys pulled an all-nighter, and actually managed to get a message to Asgard. You didn’t really come done here to share your triumph, you came down here because there’s a huge backlog of data and you can’t move on to the next step of the process until I plug all that data into the program I created.” Jane was all about the astrophysics and while Stark could create and do computer programs, he didn’t want to. So all of the computer work fell to her. Jane had the grace to look a little sheepish. “Oh the toils of being the lowly peon,” Darcy sighed melodramatically, Jane rolled her eyes. “Fine, let me eat something real quick and change. I’ll meet you out in the main room in say fifteen/ twenty minutes?”

Jane squealed, “Yeah! Hey don’t worry about eating, Tony was so excited about our success, he’s having breakfast catered in.”

“Wait a minute; he’s having breakfast catered at 5 in the morning? Geez, only Tony Stark could pull off something like that.”

“I know right? Okay, see you in the main room in fifteen.” Jane flitted out of the room, still excited beyond anything Darcy’d ever seen.

An hour later found her, Jane, and Stark buzzing around in the lab. The data entry was a pain, Jane’s chicken scratch, and Stark’s messy scrawl, were even worse than normal because of their haste and lack of sleep. With a very short break for lunch and a few times that she had to get the brainiacs to interpret their own scrawl, Darcy caught up quickly. Jane and Stark had worked on a few adjustments on the equipment while Darcy was busy with the numbers. About seven that evening, Stark ordered pizza and by the time JARVIS informed them it arrived Darcy had finished inputting the final equations. The pizzas were delivered to the main room and they headed down to eat.

They got onto the elevator when Darcy realized that she had left her iPod in the lab. She stopped the doors and stepped out. “Hey guys I forgot my iPod I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Hey I left my notebook in the workroom when I got the soldering iron, could you grab it for me?” Jane asked.

“Yeah sure no prob!” Darcy shouted over her shoulder as she headed back to the lab. “Save me a couple of pieces of supreme!” In the lab, she found her iPod beside the computer she’d been working on. She found Jane’s notebook on a table in the workroom and as she turned to go, she saw a pair of bolt cutters. Jackpot! She grabbed the bolt cutters and peeked out door. There was no one in the lab or the hall beyond. She took the staff elevator instead of the private one so that she would come down on the other side of the building, further away from the main room. She hurried down the hall, into her apartment, and hid the bolt cutters under bed. She sat for a minute, waiting for her racing heart rate to calm. She felt like spy or something sneaking around like that. She stood up, took a calming breath, and headed out to the main room.

 Steve and Bruce had joined them in the main room to enjoy the pizza. Pepper was in a meeting in one of the conference rooms and was going to join them later. Darcy grabbed a can of soda, a couple slices of supreme, and sat by Jane on the couch. “Here’s you go.” Jane smiled, laid the notebook on the table, put on a movie and they all settled in. Darcy could care less about the romantic comedy. She looked around. Tony hardly seemed to notice the movie; he was busy messing with something on his tablet. Steve seemed puzzled by the movie and Bruce was dozing already. Jane seemed to be the only one really enjoying it. Darcy didn’t like rom-coms in general; they’re basic formulaic approach to a movie that would appeal to women seemed demeaning somehow. As if modern women couldn’t get past, the pretty girl plus nice guy equals happily ever after routine.

Then again, there was something to be said about the desire for a happily ever after. The two point five kids and a house with a white picket fence would be nice. She looked around the room, but considering her current lack of a dating pool, the groom might be hard to come by. Steve was almost too nice, Stark was taken by Pepper (even if he wasn’t completely aware of it), Bruce was nice but with major anger management issues, and of course his on again off again thing with Betty. Dating outside Stark industries was kinda out of the question. She rarely got out and even if she did, she’d have SHEILD on her back to make sure she didn’t spill any of their secrets. The closest thing she currently had to a guy in her life was the alien she was currently seeing in her dreams. She smiled goofily at the thought of two point five blue kids and a spaceship. She shook her head ruefully, it was silly, she was nursing a serious crush on a guy she was only mostly sure even existed. He was a really old blue alien criminal, of course he didn’t look old and he’d served a seriously disproportionately long sentence. And Thor was a really old alien and he was hot too, so that kinda negated the weirdness on that point. And blue, well Bruce was green when he went Hulk so that one was checked off too. He was good looking too, no matter the blue and scarification. ‘Oh crap!’ she blushed, she had told him that she thought he was hot! Damn her penchant for sticking her foot in her mouth. He seemed to take it well though. Maybe he didn’t hear things like that often. God, he had even been hot when he was raging mad.

 When he had calmed down, he had given her a look of such longing, it made her heart ache. He was so lonely, not just from his time in the void, it seemed like he had felt isolated most of his life. Finished with her pizza, she placed her plate on the coffee table and, curled up on the couch, her chin on her knees as she stared through the television. They knew so little about each other but she wanted to overcome that. Would it be safe to set him free? He had some anger issues but he’d also calmed down fairly quickly. The bolt cutters would have to wait awhile. But he had said that her touch helped him and he had mentioned that his shoulders were sore. She bit her lip as a naughty thought crossed her mind. She could give him a massage to help his shoulders. She wasn’t sure about releasing him yet but she could touch him and it would be totally safe, sorta… her thought processes devolved after that to R-rated places that involved her, her alien and a lot less clothing.   

About an hour in to the movie, Tony jumped to his feet and told them he had been notified by JARVIS that SHEILD was in the building and headed to the lab. Bruce woke up, took one look at the anxious faces around him, and headed to his apartment.

“Shit, shit shit! They are so not taking this away from me again!” Jane shouted as she, Stark, Darcy, and Steve ran for the lab. They made it to the lab before SHIELD got there and stood in front of the doors, Jane and Darcy panting. Not a minute later, the four of them were confronted by over a dozen fully armed SHIELD agents, led by Agent Hill.

“You cannot have my research and my equipment.” Jane declared.

“Umm our equipment.” Stark corrected. “Agent Hill, overriding my security systems yet again? This is becoming a habit you really should call first. Though I have to say, you guys are slacking I expected you here much sooner.” He gave the agent a false smile.

“We registered extraordinary energy readings coming from your labs at 3:27 a.m. this morning. We want to know precisely what’s going on here.” She said curtly.

“Private research that’s none of your god-damn business.” He answered in kind.

“Cut the bull-shit Stark, I’m not Coulson; I won’t dance around this with you. We know you got a message through to Asgard. We want to know what the message was and how you did it.”

“Damn straight you’re not Coulson.” Pepper came around the corner as Tony bristled. “What goes in my labs none of SHIELD’s business and unless you… oomph” Pepper elbowed him in the ribs.

“Hello, I’m Pepper Pots, and you are?” She asked politely holding out her hand.

The agent looked at Pepper’s outstretched hand and pointedly ignored it. “I am Agent Maria Hill with SHEILD and unless Mr. Stark cooperates, everything in your R&D department is about to be confiscated.”

Pepper’s eyes hardened slightly, but it was Jane who spoke first. “All you want is to know what the message was and how we did it?” Hill nodded briskly. “I can provide you with a transcript of the message but I think the ‘how’ is a little above your education level, Ms. Hill.” It took a great deal of restraint for Darcy not to shout, BURN!

Agent Hill smirked, “Well that’s why I brought someone who would understand. It’s funny but this was exactly how I hoped this would go down. As of now, your project will be under observation. Agent Barton and Dr. Selvig will join you until the project’s completion and will report back to SHIELD everything that goes on here during the mean time.” Erik and an agent Darcy was unfamiliar with stepped forward from the group.

“Et tu Erik?” Darcy scowled. He only ducked his head a bit.

“Are we clear Mr. Stark?” Agent Hill asked.

“Crystal,” he bit out.

“I expect a full report, including transcripts, by 0800.” She nodded to Agent Barton, as she and the rest of the agents turned to leave.

“I’d say it’s nice to see you Robin Hood, but like this, not so much.” Stark grimaced. “Come on, we’ll catch you two up.”  Stark led Erik and Agent Barton into the lab. Pepper followed the agents out determined to make certain that they truly left.

Darcy groaned, this was going to take forever. She really wanted to see her alien. She grabbed Jane before she went into the lab. “Jane do you really need me here?” she whined. It was almost nine, if she went down to her room now she might still be able to make a decent list.

“No, I guess not…” Jane sighed. “…but since we’re not going to be able to get anything else done tonight, let’s meet here early. How about 5:30?”

Darcy shook her head. “No way! You got me up way too early today, eight.”

“Six”

“7:30”

“6:30”

“Seven, it’s the earliest you’re going to get me here. I mean gotta get up and get ready so I’m still getting up awful early.” Darcy insisted.

Jane rolled her eyes, “Fine but don’t be late.”

Steve had relaxed after the SHIELD agents had left and was leaning against the wall observing the banter. “I’m headed back down to the rooms I’ll walk with you.”

She smiled at him, “Sure Cap!” They walked to the elevators and most of the way to her apartment in silence.

“Ms. Lewis…”

“Darcy,” she insisted.

He faltered. “Umm yeah, you know if there’s anything you need to talk about I’m always here.”

“I swear my dreams have been normal, nothing crazy.” She sighed; she thought they’d gotten past that.

  He gave her an odd look, and then a boyish smile. “I wasn’t talking about your dreams Ms. Lewis. You seemed to be in deep thought during the movie. I know Dr. Foster is busy right now working on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge. I’m just offering to be a friend.”

Awww, he was so sweet, “I think I may just have to take you up on that offer, Steve.” She smiled. “But you gotta remember to call me by my first name; it’d be a little weird trying to be friends with someone who called me by last name all the time.”

“Like the way you always call Tony, Stark?”

“Well, it’s a little different with him. He gets on my nerves so much it’s hard to consider him a friend. Though Jane says he can be a really great guy. I guess I just haven’t had a chance to see that part of him yet.”

“We live in close quarters; it would be a good thing if we all attempted to be a little nicer to one another.” He smiled; damn it would be so much easier if she were attracted to this awesome guy.

“Tell you what; you’re friends with the guy. If you can get him to cool it with the innuendo, and keep his eyes focused north of the border, then I’ll do my best to be friendly.” Steve smiled and Darcy smiled in return. “Goodnight.” He turned to go as she opened her door. “Oh, and Steve…” He turned back. “…thanks, I could use a good friend.”

As she closed the door behind her she sighed, what a crazy freaking day. It was after nine, she still needed a shower, and she hadn’t had a chance to work on a list. Hmm, maybe she’d just call him Jake like the guy from Avatar. Or Tom he kinda looked like a Tom.


	6. Chapter 6

For hours or maybe weeks, he struggled with the mental clock that he had heard ticking since his banishment, it thundered in his mind making it difficult to think. It was an internal battle. He needed clarity. He raged against the clock, it was maddening, but he would not succumb to madness again. He had survived too much, struggled to regain some measure of sanity, this battle was his. He delved into the darkest recesses of his thoughts; he began to pull mentally at the tangled web that bound the clock to his mind. The clock pounded ever louder; the more he fought it the faster it ticked. It seemed as though years, decades, centuries, millennia past in an instant. He knew there was some way to loose it from his mind. In his desperation, he cast about and hoped for anything, some tool that might be the difference between the madness Odin’s clock seemed to be driving him towards, and the sanity, the wholeness that he longed for.

Unbidden a single memory crept into his thoughts, “I think someone needs a hug,” in the moment that she held him he had felt peace. She did not care about the color of his flesh, the hated Jotun blue, all she seemed to care about was him. The pounding rhythm of the clock began to falter. Her compassionate, “I feel like I’m here to help you.” The sound was beginning to lessen. She did not fear him, but rather stood up to him when he was courting madness. The hold the clock and Odin’s spell seemed to have on him was becoming tenuous. Something about her touched him. She was able to break the thread of Bestla, her touch healed him, the water she brought him refreshed him in a way no healing potion ever had. The sound of the clock was almost non-existent. “Please don’t worry about the blue; I think it’s a really nice color. And by the way, I think you’re way too good looking to be considered a monster.” He felt the last of the threads that linked his mind to the clock snap. He was free. Time seemed to slow significantly. As it settled, he began to feel so weary. The internal battle had nearly exhausted him mentally.

The clock had been another facet of Odin’s punishment. So the question was, how long had it truly been? “Trust your instincts my beloved son.” Instinct said what had ticked away as days and weeks were but minutes and hours, it was not months between her visits but the scant hours between dawn and dusk. His imprisonment had been far shorter than he had originally believed, maybe only a few decades. However, Frigga’s words nagged at him. “There is no equation to match the time spent there with the time spent here.” What he had believed to be over ten years since she first started visiting him had actually been only six weeks. He had to question her carefully to get a better sense of the amount of time since his banishment, because if it had been a shorter time she may come to recognize him as the monster that tried to subjugate her world.

Exhaustion began to creep up on him. A yawn so large his jaw cracked, hit him and he be began to retreat mentally. These thoughts were enough to nearly overwhelm him in his current weakened state. The worst battles were those of the mind. His retreat was a petite curvy brunette that willingly wrapped herself around him. She was buried in his psyche now.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 She stood half dressed in her bedroom, debating. Her wet hair was still wrapped up in a towel and she wore her yoga pants with ZUMBA printed across the butt. Her internal debate that night wasn’t about what to wear but rather, whether or not items placed in the pockets her hoodie would travel with her into the void. The water bottle was a must of course, possibly a hairbrush; she was considering bringing the bolt cutters and maybe a watch, because he seemed to have a difficulty keeping track of time.

He had acted so weird last night. He freaked out about the blue, which could be understandable if he thought he appeared one way and instead appeared the other. He had calmed down but still, hmm, well maybe the bolt cutters should wait till another night. Which also meant the watch wouldn’t be of any use. But he really seemed focused on how many weeks it had been, as if maybe; it had been way longer or shorter for him.

Hmph, whatever, she would never know the answers if she didn’t go to sleep and ask the questions. She tossed the towel in her hamper and pulled on her black Culver U hoodie. Into the pocket, she shoved a cold water bottle and her hairbrush. She climbed into bed and hoped this would work. She was keyed up and sleep seemed far away. It was only 10:30, but she knew she was going to have to get up early in the morning. She was still a little peeved that she was going to have to work on a Sunday, but she knew that now that Jane had gotten so close there would little chance of rest for a while. But, hey at least it wouldn’t be forever. Four weeks wasn’t that long, she’d have to let her alien know about the change. She tossed and turned a bit trying to comfortable with the stuff in her pocket. She squinted at the clock, 10:53, crap. Fine! 250, 243, 236, 229, 222, 215, 208, 201…   19…4,   1…8…7,    1…    8…   …   …0

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

173…   …    Yes! The water bottle and the hairbrush were still in the pocket of her hoodie! He was sound asleep; he looked so weary, like he had fought an long illness in the few hours she had been gone. Hopefully the water would help tonight. She took the opportunity to just stare at him, blue or not, sick or not, he was still damn fine. There were ridges of scarification on his forehead and ones that ran along the sharp ridges of his cheekbones. He hung limp, his tangled hair covering his face a bit. She reached forward and gently pushed his hair back over his ear, her palm lightly grazing his cheek in the process. He startled awake with a gasp at her touch, his red eyes popping open.

“Hi,” she whispered. “You okay? You don’t look like you feel well, are you sick or something?”

His eyes drifted shut and he leaned into her hand. “Or something. Hello, Darcy, it’s good to see you,” he sighed, his voice sounded rough and worn.

Her hand slipped away as she pulled out the water bottle. His eyes slowly opened as he heard the crackle of plastic. She gave him a long drink, and he smiled in thanks.  “Better?” He nodded. “So, I didn’t get a chance to make up a list. My boss had a huge breakthrough in the project she’s working on and so we’ve been busy ramping up to finish the last part of the project. Which also means my visits here might get shorter. I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to make a big list. But I’ve been thinking about the whole thing about your name. You kinda look like a Tom; can’t I just call you that?”

He frowned. “I’d rather you attempt to figure out _my_ name.”

She shrugged, “Okay, no big. So is your name Jake?” He shook his head. The game of guess my name went on for about twenty minutes before he finally put a stop to it.

“A valiant effort Darcy but I grow weary of this. Perhaps you could tell me more of this project you and your employer are working so diligently on.”

“Well I can kinda tell you about it. I’m not the expert, my boss is. I’m just the lab assistant. Jane is attempting to build an Einstein-Rosen Bridge. From what she’s explained to me is we can’t really build the bridge itself but the we can create the wormhole and point it at the other planet that we’re in contact with and then they should be able to connect to it. So we should be able to theoretically jump between worlds.” Darcy smiled at her explanation.

So the Midgardians were trying to create an abutment for the Bi-frost. “But how do you know the other planet has a way to create the bridge itself?”

Darcy was quiet as she thought about how to word her answer. “Well, there have been visitors to earth before who used the bridge. It got broken for a while but word is that they’ve fixed their end. So now, we want a way so that we can control the jump. We want to be able to go there without having to call for help every time.”  

He was quiet for a long time as he regarded her answer. It wouldn’t have taken Asgard long to repair the damage done by Thor, a year at most. The repairs had been nearly finished when Thor had dragged him before Odin. As for the Midgardian technology, he was unsure. How long would have it taken for the mortals to create their end of the Bi-frost was unclear. The god of lies carefully schooled his features to portray innocent curiosity. “So how long has your employer been working on this project?”

“Umm, well Jane’s always been interested in astrophysics but she’s been on this specific project for about a year and a half.” Darcy did a mental count. “Well no, I guess it’s been more like a year and nine months.”

“And is the idea for this project, all hers or is she building on the theory of others?” he asked quietly.

“Well kinda both. See, while others came up with the basic ideas like 70 or 80 years ago, all of it, string theory, wormholes, the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, it was all just hypothetical until we got the first visit to our planet about two years ago. After that, everything seemed possible.”

His carefully constructed mask did not falter, but inside he was reeling. It had been a mere two years since Thor’s banishment and less than a year since his imprisonment. Less than a year, not over three thousand years, less than a year. Suddenly he felt exhausted. This new revelation coupled with his earlier battle against Odin’s spell was far more taxing than he could bear. He sighed heavily. “I find myself still overtaxed from my earlier difficulty. Could I have another drink?”

She smiled softly as she gave him another drink. “Umm, hey,” now that she had to ask it felt awkward. “I, uh brought a hairbrush with me, and I was um, well, do want me to brush your hair? It’s way tangled,” she stammered.

“I think that is the kindest thing that anyone has ever asked of me. Although…”

“I know all your nerves are out of whack so I promise I’ll be gentle, umm, well, here let me show you.” She floated around him, carefully threaded her hands into his hair, and gently started rubbing his scalp. He hissed in pain. “I knew it would hurt as your nerves woke up so I thought I would be better if I kinda got you past the pain part before I brushed your hair.”

“That is very thoughtful.” He spoke softly through gritted teeth.

She moved her hands in slow soothing circles, around his temples, his forehead, and all the way back to the nape of his neck. She continued to rub his scalp until she could feel him begin to relax. His skin was cool to the touch. She moved her hands slowly down his neck, still in small soothing circles. She rubbed his neck and shoulders gently pressing her fingertips into his tight muscles. She moved with slow firm precision. As she worked through the tension in each muscle, she could feel his pain easing away. She smiled as she continued her ministrations, his shoulders, his upper arms, and his back. His body temperature seemed lower than her own, making her hands tingle slightly. She could feel each muscle, he was lean, but she could feel the strength he possessed. His shoulders were broad, not in an obvious burly way, but still gloriously strong. His back tapered down to narrow hips. She carefully massaged every bit of his back that she could reach. She could feel the ridges of his scars through his thin linen tunic. Her hands slowed as she explored the patterns created by the scars. He let out a soft sound as she ran a fingertip down the ridge that followed his spine. “You’d tell me if I was hurting you right?” she asked softly.

He groaned, “I assure I am not experiencing any pain.” His voice dropped to a low rumbling purr.

She trembled slightly. Hot damn, his voice gave her chills and yet at the same time she felt herself hot to the core. Something was changing between them if she continued this way she was going to do something crazy like kiss him senseless. “I’m going to brush your hair now,” her voice was breathy. She dragged her hands slowly up to the nape of his neck, gathered his hair in one hand, and pulled out the hairbrush. She worked slowly and carefully brushing through his knotted hair. His hair was a little on the greasy side but it wasn’t like he’d had the opportunity to wash it lately. It was so inky black it almost had a blue sheen to it. It took far less time to brush through his hair than she thought; she had hoped to get her reactions to him under control before she had to face him. 

“There we go, all done.” She floated around in front of him and his eyes had darkened to almost a burgundy color. She looked away as she chewed roughly on her bottom lip. She floundered for something to say, something to break the tension. “I uh, found a pair of bolt cutters; I think I’ll bring em with me tomorrow night.” Her voice had dropped to a whisper, she was no innocent, but the look he gave her made her feel shy and new.

“Darcy,” her name came out as a growl. She glanced up at him and felt scalded by the heat in his gaze. Her breath caught sharply like her lower lip between her sharp white teeth. She stared down at her hands as she struggled to remember how to breathe. “Darcy, look at me,” he ordered softly.

She shook her head, words failing her. “Why ever not?” there was a wicked lilt in his voice, as if he knew precisely how melty her insides felt from the way he spoke her name.  “Darcy, please.”

“Oh god, if I look at you I may not be able to control myself.” She whispered, closing her eyes. Her voice was almost unrecognizable, husky, and low.

She heard his bounds rattle; he was making small movements bringing himself closer to her. “Look anyway.”

The last bit of her resolve slipped away when she heard the pure unadulterated need in his voice. When she finally looked up he was inches away from her; his eyes drank her in as if he needed her, like water, like oxygen. He was dangerous, like sin, his eyes like dark red wine. Her hands moved of their own volition. Slowly she slid her hands up his strong hard chest, coming to rest on the column of his neck. She pulled him closer and kissed him. Gentle and tentative at first, his lips were cool and dry. He pressed closer, the lack of gravity pushing her further away. She let out a frustrated little mew, and pulled herself closer, one hand behind his neck, and other slipped down under his arm and around his back, pulling them together into intimate contact. Her hand tightened reflexively on his back and her nails lightly scratched one of the ridges on his shoulder blade, he growled low in the back of his throat, and pressed into her.

He seemed intent on possessing her; his lips moved forcefully, his teeth grazed across her full lower lip. When she gasped in surprise his tongue snaked in. It was like making out with a popsicle, but somehow it only turned her on more. He did wicked things with his mouth, things that sent a flush of arousal through her. Again, he tried to press closer and when she felt herself slipping back, she wrapped her legs around his waist. His bound hands clutched her ankles, holding her to him. Goosebumps crawled over her skin, his hands were like ice. She gasped at the cold, arched against him and threw her head back. He placed open-mouthed kisses on her exposed throat. She moaned when he found that sensitive spot at the back of her jaw below her ear. She ground against him, the distinct bulge in his leather trousers said alien or not they were compatible. He sucked harder; she could feel the capillaries break under her skin. “Oh my god,” she moaned.

“Yes, yes I am.” He gave her a wicked smirk.

She leaned back slightly to look at him. His blue lips were flushed a slightly purple color and a little swollen from the urgency of their kisses. “Don’t brag,” she teased.

“It’s not bragging if it’s true.” He grinned in response.   

She leaned closer to kiss him again when she realized their time was almost over, she could almost hear her alarm clock blaring Black Sabbath in her head. She gave him a quick kiss, and tried to pull back. “It’s almost time for me to go,” she whispered sadly.

His hands tightened on her ankles. “Don’t,” he growled, and leaned forward to catch her mouth again in an all-consuming kiss.

She groaned, and clutched at him, she could feel her body temperature rising. Finally, she pushed firmly on his shoulders and floated back with a curse. “Damn, I’m bringing the bolt cutters tomorrow night and we’re going to do this properly.” She winked at him and disappeared.


	7. Chapter 7

She woke up breathless and sweaty. She slapped the off button on her alarm to make Ozzy shut up, and rolled unto her back. The predictable nasty headache was there, and she was burning up. She threw off the covers and wrenched off the hoodie. Her room felt like a sauna. “What the hell? JARVIS, what is up with the temperature in here?” she demanded.

“It appears there is a mal-function with the heating and cooling unit in your rooms.”

“Yeah funny, I got that much. What’s temperature in here, like a 100?”

“Your thermostat registers the room to be 70 degrees.”

“Ha-ha, what temperature is it really?”

“It is 89 degrees.”

“Geez, can you notify maintenance for me please?”

“Of course, your rooms have been placed on the maintenance list and the repairs should be complete by 2 p.m. Is there anything else Ms. Lewis?”

“No, that’s all, thanks JARVIS.” Darcy put on her glasses and rolled out of bed. She wandered to the bathroom, took a few extra strength Tylenol, and brushed her teeth. As she brushed her hair, she saw it. “Oh goddammit, alien-boy!!!” She had a monster hickey. A scarf or turtleneck wouldn’t work; it was too high. She took a quick shower to clean up and cool off. It didn’t help much her rooms seemed to be getting hotter by the minute. She quickly dabbed a little foundation over the hickey and prayed Jane would be too preoccupied to notice. She went into the kitchen, grabbed a cereal bar and her iPod.

As she walked through the living room to leave, she spotted her album collection. “Shit, I hope they aren’t ruined already.” She grabbed the milk crate and took it with her up to the lab.

When she got to the lab, she nodded to Jane who was already busy working numbers and fiddling with the equipment. She placed the milk crate by the wall out of the way, and proceeded to fire up the coffee machine. Erik and the SHIELD agent came in at about 7:30. Erik was looking over some of Jane’s numbers while the SHIELD agent just stood in a corner and watched them all. He was seriously intense, and it kinda freaked Darcy out, fortunately for him, she had left her taser back in her apartment.

According to Jane, the SHIELD agent’s name was Clint Barton and he had been mind-controlled by Thor’s brother too. Both Erik and Agent Barton seemed antsy, like drug addicts going through withdrawal. Erik was thinner than she’d ever seen him, and muttered to himself a lot. It made her sad to see how broken the brilliant man seemed.

“Jane, have you cross referenced the particle data for your second dry run with the data from the first contact?” Erik asked. Normally when they started talking science Darcy tuned them out but something in Erik’s tone made her perk up and listen.

Jane scribbled another line or two before she looked up. “What? First contact… you mean when Thor landed? You know we lost a good bit of that data when SHIELD returned my stuff. Why, what are you seeing that I’m not?” Jane went over the table Erik was working at and began looking over the data. Erik pointed to a few things.

“I don’t see anything different. The pattern has remained constant for the last nine months of tests.” Jane shook her head.

“Look, there is a variance here, since your numbers in Tromso, and then the data that you’ve collected here, but look from the second dry on, there is this anomaly.”

“Oh that… I believe that’s because I had to accommodate for the alignment between Ursa Major and… blah blah blah science science science.” Darcy stopped listening; they got way too technical for her. Erik seemed satisfied by Jane’s explanation, and that was enough for Darcy.    

Two and a half hours later, she was on her third cup of coffee and buzzing away on the data entry Jane needed for later that afternoon when Stark finally wandered in. “Alright, I’m here let’s get to work.” He grinned.

Jane and Erik ignored him, but his cockiness bothered Darcy. “Seriously dude? What, do you want an award or something? The rest of us have been here working for hours already.”

 “What’s your problem kiddo?”

“Umm, how about I was woken up way too early yesterday morning, had to get here early today, which means I don’t get to have my weekend, my room was a fricking sauna, and I’m worried my album collection might have gotten ruined by the heat.”

Stark arched an eyebrow at her. “Whoa, easy there, first did you have JARVIS inform maintenance?” She nodded. “And second, you said album collection, you’re barely legal, you grew up in the digital age how do you have an album collection?”

“Umm, I’m 26 and it started out as my Dad’s collection. I kept them after he died.” She huffed and pointed at the milk crate.

Stark picked up the crate and put on a nearby table. “Son of a bitch, your pops had good taste! AC/ DC, Metallica, The Doors, Megadeath, Van Halen, The Stones, and… Oh oh oh... Black Sabbath’s debut album!” The billionaire looked like a kid at Christmas. “Kiddo, you are officially my new best friend.” He carefully pulled the Black Sabbath album from its cover, inspecting it for heat damage. Darcy put her coffee cup beside her computer and walked over to where Stark was messing with her albums.

She stared as he looked through her collection; he might be the only one she could ask. “Okay totally random question, but you were there at New York right?”

He tensed slightly and his eyes narrowed, “Yeah, why? Where you going with this?”

She noticed his behavior and backed up slightly, “Is this an okay topic or should I just ask Steve?”

He sighed heavily and rifled absently through her albums. “I don’t like talking about it, but Pepper says that if I want to get over it I _need_ to talk about it. So ask your question, just know, if I don’t want to answer I won’t, kapeesh?”

“Duly noted, I was just wondering about what exactly Thor’s brother did to Erik and Agent Barton.”

“Umm, well I don’t really know, He had a scepter with a stone similar to the Tesseract, and he used it to control them. They both got hit on the head and they seemed to come out of it, mostly, but from what I understand since he didn’t release them using the scepter, and it got destroyed, they’re still kinda not all the way back to themselves.”

Darcy was quiet for a while, “What was his problem, why did he do that?” she wondered aloud.

“I guess because he needed a couple of SHIELD minions.”

“No, I meant all of it. Was he always Senor Psychopath, or did something happen?”

“Oh nah, he was a troublemaker and a liar, but he went nuts when he found out he was adopted. Turns out he was a frost giant or something, though he didn’t seem all that giant to me, he was strong, I give you that, but no taller than Thor really.”

He put the album he was holding back and looked at some of the others. His actions dictating the subject of New York was closed. “They look alright, no warping or anything. I don’t suppose you’d let me borrow a few of these?”

Darcy looked at him thoughtfully; Steve had asked her to be nicer. “Tell you what, Tony; if you promise to be careful with them and keep your eyes focused north of the border,” she drew a line under her chin, “I’ll let you borrow all of them. I know how much you love that kind of music, and until my apartment cools down, they’ll probably be safer in your rooms anyway.”

He looked up and gave her his most charming smile. “Sure thing kiddo!” He glanced meaningfully at her poorly disguised hickey, and dropped his voice to a whisper. “Besides, it looks like you already got somebody to take care of south of the border for you.”

She blushed profusely and stammered, trying to come up with a way to refute the evidence.

He held up one hand. “Save it, I’m sure given time you’d have come up with a great cover story, but I know what a hickey looks like.” He smirked. “Since you were so nice, how about I fix the weekend thing, and get you at least the rest of the day off?” He winked conspiratorially, turned to Jane, and announced loudly, “Hey Brain, I just found myself preoccupied for a while. I think I’ll come back and work some tomorrow. How’s that work for you? Great? Good, all right. Later Losers!” and Tony strode out of the lab carrying Darcy albums like they were the greatest treasure known to man.

“Wait… what? Tony get your ass back here! ” Jane shouted, as she jumped up and ran after him.

Darcy grinned and turned to Erik. “Hey, if Tony’s out, then so am I! Tell Jane I’ll see you guys tomorrow morning at 7.” Darcy nearly sprinted out the door. She figured Jane would have followed Tony up the private elevators so she took the staff elevators down to her floor. When she opened the door to her apartment, she could immediately tell maintenance hadn’t been there yet so she grabbed her favorite messenger bag, stuffed her laptop and her wallet in it, and headed out.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She spent the rest of the day in her favorite coffee shop, a few blocks down from Stark Tower, in the front booth so she could people watch, and play on her computer. Darcy was in her own little world, enjoying watching the city as evening rolled in, when someone called her name and startled her. Darcy turned in her seat to see Tony walking towards her with a smirk. He pulled out the chair next to her and sat down. “Hey kiddo, since you turned your phone off, I figured I’d come down here and tell you maintenance got your room fixed up. And I thought I’d let you know, Jane might be ready to call the cops because she can’t find you.”

“Crap.” She pulled out her phone and turned it on. She had over dozen missed calls, almost as many voice mails and about twenty texts, all from Jane. A thought occurred to her, “Aww, you really do like me. You didn’t tell Jane about my hiding place, and you came to warn me. You really _can_ be a nice guy,” she teased.

Tony grimaced, “Don’t tell Pepper, it’ll ruin the bad boy image I cultivate. She likes that about me. Don’t want her to get the idea I’m going soft.”

Darcy shook her head. “Soft please, somehow, I think you’ll be 85 years old and still be hard to handle.”

Tony threw a hand over his heart, “Ouch, you wound me kiddo. But seriously, you should call Jane before she has an aneurysm. It’s hard to find astrophysicists with the drive she has. You gotta be more careful with her.” He winked.

Darcy quickly called Jane and put her on speaker. Before Jane could say a word Darcy started with, “Hey Jane, Tony said you were looking for me.” Tony gave her a look of mock betrayal.

Jane began ranting about both of them bailing on her. Darcy tuned her out and leaned towards Tony. “Now that she knows I'm safe, how am I going to sneak past her into the Tower?”

Tony shrugged, “I’m not helping you, you sold me out. Good luck getting home without a lecture from Momma Jane.” He pointed to her neck. “Maybe your boyfriend could help you out.” With an ornery grin, he stood up and told Jane “Hey Brain, I know I ran out today. You promise me one day off in seven and I promise I’ll be there with bells on the other six.”

Jane heaved a frustrated sigh. “Fine. I expect to see both of you; yes, that means you Tony, in the lab at seven a.m. sharp. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.” They both chorused. Jane hung up with a grumble.

Tony offered his elbow, “Ms. Darcy Lewis I would like to escort you back to my Tower.”

Darcy shoved her stuff into her bag, grabbed her latte, and took Tony’s arm with a grin. “Why Mr. Stark I believe you can be a gentleman after all.” She said with an overly dramatic southern drawl.

Tony threw back his head and laughed. “Yeah right, nobody would ever believe that.” He arched an eyebrow at her “Won’t your boyfriend be jealous to find you on the arm of _the_ Tony Stark?”

Darcy blushed profusely, “I don’t know if you could call him my boyfriend, or at least not yet. Really, I hardly know him. I like him a lot, but he’s kinda troubled, but really hot.” She grinned at the sidewalk. “He’s not the kind of guy to write home to mom about.” And under her breath she mumbled, “Scars, and a criminal record and everything.”

“Is that why you haven’t brought him around to meet us, because of his criminal record?”

She gave him a bit of a panicked look, “Crap, I said that last bit out loud,” he nodded. “Yeah that’s part of it. He’s done time for it and is a better man now, but that doesn’t always mean anything to other people.” She sighed. “Look Tony, now that you’re being nice it’s really easy to talk to you, but a girl has gotta have some secrets. Please don’t tell Jane about him, she’ll get all ‘mother hen’ on me.”

Tony nodded and held the door open for her. He had led them around the Tower to a back entrance that Darcy had never noticed before. They went up a flight of stairs, down a hall on the second floor, up the service elevators, down another short narrow hallway, and came out through a door labeled janitorial supplies near the private elevators on Darcy’s floor. Darcy grinned, “So, is this how you sneak out of the Tower when Pepper’s looking for you?”

“Yep and if you tell her, I’ll tell Jane about your ex-con boyfriend.” Tony held out his hand, “Deal?”

“Deal.” Darcy grinned as she shook his hand. “See you tomorrow, bright and early, right?”

Tony frowned as he got on the elevator, “Yeah guess I gotta. Otherwise Brain might yell at me.”

“You’re more afraid that she’ll get Pepper to crack the whip.” Tony visibly flinched, Darcy laughed. “You know, I’m totally right!” she called as the elevator closed.

She hurried into her apartment, hoping not to run into Jane. She deposited her bag on the kitchen table and grabbed a water bottle from her fridge. In the bathroom, she brushed her hair and her teeth, and scrubbed her makeup off. She flounced to her bedroom, she felt like a giddy teenager again. Screw being an adult, it sucked! She was going to go to bed at nine at night and she was excited about it. The only thing left was… what to wear?

This was the first time dressing for a guy felt so intentional. Of course, she’d had the requisite drunken college one-night stands, followed by humiliating walks-of-shame, one long-term boyfriend in college that was a bit of a dud. Hell, even her first time wasn’t much of anything. But, her alien, hot damn!!! With one kiss, he blew every other guy she’d ever been with out of the water. She wasn’t lying to Tony, she really didn’t know if they could be considered boyfriend and girlfriend or not. And to her it really didn’t matter. She was going to set him free tonight. It seemed too cliché to wear a lingerie, and just a bra and panties seemed a little slutty. She wanted to look sexy, but not like she thought a lot about it. She pulled out one of her workout tops. It was green and black, sleeveless, and had a shelf bra inside. The idea of a shelf bra was really not designed for women built like her and that was why she’d never actually worn it to the gym, but it would be perfect for this. A lot cleavage would work in this case. She went with the black yoga pants again because they made her butt look great too.

After changing, she debated about how to bring the bolt cutters and the water bottle. She didn’t want to wear the hoodie, but if she let go of the bolt cutters to use both hands for other things, they might float away. A string! She jumped up off the bed and ran to her junk drawer. She found a roll of ribbon leftover from an old Halloween costume she made and cut off about a three-foot length. She tied one end to the handle of the bolt cutters, the middle to her wrist, and the other end to the neck of the water bottle.

She turned the light off and crawled under the covers, clutching the water bottle and the bolt cutters. She was so nervous and excited she knew it would take forever to fall asleep so she started with 500, 493, 486, 479, 472, 465

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After she left, he had slept, for what seemed like days. When he awoke, he realized that the stars had stopped multiplying. So many things about this imprisonment made no sense to him. He puzzled over the inconsistencies but made no headway. It mattered not, in a few hours she would return.

He knew the truth now. It had only been nine months since he had attempted to rule Midgard, not three thousand years. He was at war within, if she figured it out by herself, she would hate him, but in this instance he had not actually lied, he’d only just come to the truth himself. If he could tell her who he was, she would know the truth, but could she forgive him?

He cleared his throat; “I am Lo…” he coughed and gagged.

He took a deep breath and tried again, “I am L…” he gagged again.

He tried time and time again, growing angrier with each failed attempt. He raged and he fought, somewhere in the back of his mind he knew, this was what he had to do. If she figured it out by herself, she would feel just as betrayed as he had when he found out about his true father. If he could tell her himself, she may eventually be able to forgive him.

“I am L…” His own name was torturous; his identity was abhorrent. Who he had been, who he was… he was the enemy of her people. He had attempted to subjugate them. She would surely hate him.    

“I am the go…” He was the god of mischief, silvertongue, the trickster, the god of lies. His life had been built around a lie, and he was more adept at deception than he had ever been at sincerity. The lies of Odin, the lies of Frigga, his own lies… the multitude of his own lies, deceptions, half-truths, trickery, guile, fraud, subterfuge, betrayal! All of it lies, lies, lies!!! He was surrounded by it, steeped in it, drowning in it. Lies, lies, lies, lies…

He threw back his head and screamed in frustration, a single tear running back and into his hairline. His anger spent, his head dropped to his chest as he panted.

There was a soft whisper in the back of his mind, “And then you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free…”

His voice was rough and low as he continued, “I am a monster. I have done truly evil things and I hate everything I’ve done, but I would change nothing.” He confessed all to the empty space around him, “What I’ve done is unforgivable, but everything, _everything_ , the good, the bad and even the truly heinous acts, have led me here. And she is worth it all.” He shuddered as tears flowed freely. “I want to tell her the truth, I have to tell her the truth; I need to tell her… I… am… Loki.”


	8. Chapter 8

_He confessed all to the empty space around him, “What I’ve done is unforgivable, but everything, everything, the good, the bad and even the truly heinous acts, have led me here. And she is worth it all.” He shuddered as tears flowed freely. “I want to tell her the truth, I have to tell her the truth; I need to tell her… I… am… Loki.”_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

He looked up when she arrived, his cheeks still streaked with tears and a manic smile marring his face.

It was a good thing she had tied the bolt cutters to her wrist. Her eyebrows shot up and in her shock, she dropped everything. “Oh my god, babe, are you okay, what the hell happened?” She floated over and began wiping the tears from his face with her hands.

“Darcy, Darcy, Darcy,” he whispered her name like a prayer and pushed past her hands to bury his face in the crook of her neck. She held him as he struggled to regain control.

“Hey whatever it is it’s gonna be fine. It’s gonna be alright please it’s gonna be alright. Shh,” she crooned and carded her fingers through his hair. She continued to soothe him until his breathing evened out. “Hey,” she whispered. “I brought the bolt cutters, how about I remove these bonds and then we talk. You can tell me about whatever is bothering you.”

“No, no not yet I need to tell something you before you release me.” His warm breath caressed her skin and her breathing stuttered. He could almost see her pulse jumping in her throat. He took a deep breath, she smelled clean and fresh, he wanted to taste her. He felt so out of control, erratic, he had to tell her, but he was afraid. He was torn between what he knew he should do and what he wanted to do. She shivered slightly and pulled him closer. Her soft skin, so exposed, the creamy column of her neck marred by him, he felt helpless against his baser urges. He kissed along her collarbone, the hollow of her throat, and slowly licked his way up to the same marked place he’d left the night before. He bit down lightly on his mark and she let out a little involuntary moan.

Suddenly she grabbed him by the hair and pulled him level with her. Their kisses were hurried and desperate. She hooked her knees on either side on his hips and ground against him. With one hand, she held fast to the hair at the nape of his neck and with the other, she fought the laces of his tunic. She kissed along his jaw and down his neck to where his shirt lay open to her. The hand that had opened his tunic slid down to pull the tunic free from his trousers. She slid her hand under his tunic and across the firm planes of his abdomen. The tip of her tongue traced lightly across the swirling pattern of scars just below the hollow of his throat and he growled fiercely. “Set me loose, we can talk later.”

She smiled and let go of him. She grabbed the bolt cutters as she floated around him. She quickly cut through the chains linking the top part of the I-frame to the cuffs on his wrists. He groaned as he moved his arms slowly trying to wake up the muscles that had been so long unused. He felt an odd pulse at the base of his spine. It was there and gone so quickly he dismissed it. She cut through the chains that bound his feet to the frame, cast the frame away, and floated around to come face to face with him.

His hand shook as he slowly lifted it to softly caress her cheek. She leaned into his hand and smiled. She looked at the heavy metal cuff on his wrist and sighed, “Those can’t be very comfortable to move around in.” She tugged at the cuffs one by one to remove them and he groaned again as she began rubbing his arms to stimulate circulation. A friend of hers in college had studied physical therapy and Darcy had been the lucky recipient of her trial sessions, and as a result had learned quite a bit about proper massage techniques.

The pulse at the base of his spine returned and was now accompanied by one just below his navel. It was an odd warm sensation and before he could figure out what it was, it stopped. He needed to tell her who he was, a look of concern and mild panic crossed his face. She gently placed her hand on his mouth. “I know whatever is weighing on your mind is really important, maybe even a game changer.” Tears briefly clouded her vision, but she shook her head and cleared her throat so her voice wouldn’t crack. “And I know that you’ve gotta tell me, but please just let me have this, then whatever happens at least I’ll have the memory of this.” He looked as if he might protest, but he finally nodded.

He reached for her, his long arms wrapping around her, one buried in her dark wavy hair and the other spanning her waist. Her hands snaked under his arms and came to rest on his shoulder blades. For a long time, they hung there just holding one another. He felt a peace and wholeness, deeper and more profound than he’d ever felt before. She accepted him, or at least what she knew of him. His greatest fear was that when she found out who he was, she would reject him. He had come to care for her deeply, she was light to his darkness, she was his savior, his anchor. She did not fear him; she stood up to him, and soothed him.

She clutched at him; this wasn’t what she had expected. There had been such heat between them last night, she thought after she released him they would practically be tearing off one another’s clothes. Something had happened, and for the first time since she had removed his stitches she was afraid. This felt like a goodbye, like he was going to break up with her, or like he was dying. She cared about him so much and she felt like she was losing him. Silent tears coursed down her cheek as she held him tighter.

Feeling her tears wet his tunic, he pulled back slightly and lifted her chin. “Why are you crying, min elskede?”

She didn’t answer him, talking would lead to change, something she was pretty certain she didn’t want. She wanted him. She surged forward kissing him deeply, wanting make such a connection with him that he wouldn’t push her away, or leave her. His hand buried in her hair cradled her head and tilted it just so, his other hand slipped under her top, his slightly rough fingertips digging in lightly as he clutched at her hip. She moaned softly, her wandering hands made their way up under his tunic, her fingertips dancing across the pattern of scars on his back.

“I was trying to take this slowly, to make this beautiful for you, but if you keep doing that I don’t know if I’ll be able to control myself,” he growled softly.

She smiled, and followed one ridge all the way down the length of his neck with her tongue. “Maybe I don’t want you to be controlled,” she whispered against his neck, and lightly scratched along a scar on his back.

His hand on her hip tightened, and he wished more than anything for a firm surface, vertical or horizontal, it mattered not. “Are you certain, that’s what you want?”

His hoarse whisper sent chills down her spine, and she nodded, uncertain that her voice would obey her. She took a deep breath, hooked one foot around his waist, and slowly dragged his tunic up and off of him. His breath came in harsh pants. She looked at him in wonder, the scarifications on his face and neck were angular with the exception of the curves on his forehead that reminded her of a crown and all symmetrical, but on his body, the ridges were in an elegant swirling pattern, it was almost lyrical. She ran her hands reverently over the ridges on his chest, “God, you are so beautiful.”

He pulled away and reached for his tunic. “I cannot do this. I am not beautiful; this form before you is monstrous. You have come to enjoy a lie. This is not how I would normally appear, nor if I had the choice how you would ever have seen me.” He sighed heavily, it would be better if she hated him then for her to enjoy him in this form, it felt like a betrayal of his true self. As he pulled on the tunic and turned away from her, he felt a third pulse, now also in his solar plexus, like the first two it came and went quickly. **“** Go home Darcy. So much has happened in the few hours you were gone and now that I should tell I find that I have no desire to.” He would rather she hate him than to reject him.

Darcy floated around and grabbed the front of his tunic. “Oh hell no, you don’t get to pull this bullshit. I have come here every damn night. Not by choice by the way, it’s not like I can control whether I come or go. I have helped you as much as I can. I thought we were friends, or after last night maybe even something more. You don’t get to shut me out, dammit! If this isn’t the way you normally look, then tell me what you normally look like. Then I promise I’ll imagine you looking like that when we make out. I’ll tell you what though; I don’t give a shit what you look like. I didn’t fall in love with your fucking looks I… I…” her eyes widened. “Holy shit,” she whispered, as her hands flew to her mouth. She flailed and struggled to get as far away from as she could.

He watched as she flailed around. Part of him rejoiced in her accidental revelation, and part of him was furious. He felt so torn. He was healing, he was being renewed, it was glorious, and it hurt like hell. This time when the pulse hit him, it was in his chest as well, he felt it swell within him, it was familiar, and then it was gone. He wanted to take time to think about it, to identify what the pulsing was, but his thought process was so scattered.

She said she loved him…

She knew he had done all those terrible things and yet she loved him? Her reaction to her slip was telling, it was something she may not have even known about herself until she had voiced it aloud. There was no artifice in her words. With one fluid movement, he was in front of her. He placed his hands on her face and forced her to look at him. Her face was deeply flushed and her beautiful blue eyes bright with tears. “You should not love me, you do not even know who I truly am.” He whispered.

She pulled away from him, turning her back to him, and wrapping her arms around herself. “Yeah I know, stupid Darcy. My heart should know better, right? Oh, well guess I screwed up again, story of my stupid fucking life,” she whispered bitterly.

“Min elskede…” he sighed heavily, this night had been so difficult. He shook his head and tried again. “Darcy, look at me.”

She kept her back to him and tried to ignore him. What the hell was wrong with him tonight? He was hot, he was cold, he was yes, he was no, he was up, he was do… well shit, now she was gonna have that song stuck in her head all night.

She felt so turned around, she was crying when she just wanted to slap him. When she finally spoke, her voice was thick from her tears. “Look, I get it. I’ve had this talk before. You like me but you just don’t ‘like me’ like me. Whatever, fine, you’re free now. Maybe that was the whole point of me coming here, maybe now that you’re free, I won’t be around to bother you anymore. But really, don’t worry about it, even if I do come back I’ll make sure not to bother you with my stupid feelings again.”

Suddenly something clicked; she gasped, and turned on him. “You said that this was all because I don’t truly know who you are! Is this all because you’re some kind of immortal alien prince and I’m just a stupid short-lived human nobody?”

Now he was beginning to get angry, “Of all that I’ve told you about myself, everything that I’ve shared with you, that is what you come up with? You can think of no other reason, why I would believe it to be a bad idea for you to fall in love with me?” he hissed.

He felt the pulse again. Now there were five points, the base of his spine, below his navel, his solar plexus, his chest, and now in the base of his throat. Though the pulse was again brief, he knew what it was… it was his magic returning. Had he not been so distracted, he would have identified it far sooner.

She narrowed her eyes at his tone, “What else could there be, your highness?” she said scathingly with a mock bow.

He made an inarticulate noise of frustration. “Woman, you are so blind! I am a disgraced prince. I have no place among my former family and no place in the kingdom of my birth. I am a criminal. I have murdered, I have done horrendous unforgivable things. And I would change nothing,” She gasped. “Everything I have done, every terrible unthinkable act I have committed, everything that I loathe, I would do it all again... I would change nothing… nothing,” he repeated.

He felt the sixth pulse, in the center of his forehead. Whether he wanted to tell her or not, it was only a matter of time. His instinctual magic would return first, his form would revert to his Aesir appearance and she would know him. It was a good thing she recoiled from him now. She did not understand what he meant but it mattered not, she would hate him either way.

Tears coursed down her cheeks as she stared at him. She was angry, frightened, and so confused. How could he loathe all the things he’d done at yet not want to change anything? She shook her head none of it really mattered, “Don’t you see? I don’t care what you’ve done. You may not want to change what you’ve done in the past, but you can still be a better man when you’re released, you don’t have to do those things again. I believe in you, I know you can let it go and choose to be a better person now. You’ve served your time; you’ve done your punishment, over three thousand years of it.”

He began to chuckle darkly, he felt the final pulse, this time it included the top of his head. It was stronger than the others were, lasted longer, was somewhat painful, and made him visibly flinch. Now it was only a matter of a few moments before his skin would begin to shift. “You’re not listening. I should have told you from the beginning and not allowed you to release me. I have struggled the whole length of my imprisonment with a clock placed in my mind. It was there to remind me of every second of my time here. In nearly cost me the remains of my sanity. It was your statement about returning the next night that made me realize the truth. I removed the clock in your absence, but the clock was a farce, another tool of the All-Father to punish me.”

She knew that name should mean something to her, but all she could focus on was the idea that the length of his imprisonment may have been different than either of them had previously believed. She swallowed convulsively, and whispered shakily, “So how long have you truly been here?”

A terrifying vicious smile crawled across his face. “I’m not sure you really want to know the answer to that.” Her eyes glistened with tears, but she nodded anyway. He felt the warmth of his Asgardian appearance begin slowly creeping from his core outwards. She would know him as the villain. Well then, it was an easy enough part to play. His voice dropped to a wicked velvety purr, “Sweet naïve Darcy, thought she could reform the criminal.” He shook his head he could feel the change creeping up his neck now.

“I have been here a mere nine months.”

“No.”

He saw it in her eyes, as his preferred form returned, everything he had told her clicked in to place. For brief moment, he hoped that she would see past all of it, but then he saw her fear. And it angered him.

He spread his arms wide, proud and seemingly unashamed. Arrogance and mockery were his armor and weapons.

“Yes, Darcy.” She shook her head and pulled back, and her retreat only served to infuriate him further. “There is no longer a need for a list. No more guessing games… Say my name.”

She shook her head again.

“Say My Name,” he demanded.

“God of lies,” she whispered.

“SAY MY NAME!” He roared.

“Loki…” and she vanished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter felt like it wrote itself, I knew this confrontation would happen but I was almost terrified to write it. Sorry for the cliff hanger. Thanks for all the reviews they really do inspire me.  
> Oh yeah and the term min elskede? I wanted an old norse term of endearment. According to the "university of google" Vikings rarely used nicknames or petnames, but if they did they were usually derogatory. I did find one article that said on the rare occasion that they did use a sweet nickname it was very significant, it meant the person given the nickname was very important to the one giving it. So all that to say... since I couldn't find a Viking term I used google translate and I went with Norwegian, and...  
> Min elskede means My Beloved.


	9. Chapter 9

She rolled over and the bolt cutters knocked against her hip. She sat up with a cry of frustration, ripped the ribbon from her wrist, threw the bolt cutters, the ribbon, and unopened water bottle across the room. Her head was a mess, she had the migraine-like headache again, and now she didn’t even have a pleasant memory to drown it out. She felt numb. She wanted to cry, to scream, but nothing came. She stood and went to her bathroom to retrieve the painkillers that had become her regular habit during the past few weeks. She stared at the bottles in her cabinet. There was Tylenol, and then there was the bottle of Vicodin she had left over from her appendectomy two years ago. Why the fuck not, she took four Vicodin and returned to her bed. It was only five a.m. She didn’t feel like ever sleeping again. She turned her alarm off, and wrapped her blankets around herself like a cocoon, her knees pulled up to her chin, arms wrapped around her shins, she rocked slightly as she allowed her mind to wander. She stared glassy eyes at the wall, and tried to think about anything but what happened.

“Hey kiddo, you okay?” She heard Tony’s voice from far away, as if she was underwater. She slowly turned her head in response, but everything seemed slightly out of focus.  

She giggled, “Glasses,” she flopped over and fumbled for her glasses on her bedside table. Tony grumbled something, handed her glasses to her, and helped her sit back up. She clumsily put them on and looked around. “Hey, _the_ Tony Stark is on my bed. I feel special.” She giggled again, and then she frowned. “Hey, you better behave or Pepper’s gonna kick your ass.”

“What’d you take kiddo?” He sounded serious; that was weird, Tony Stark never sounded serious.

She put on her best serious face, “I can be serious too,” she giggled. “Shit, sorry, Serious. I took a few Vicodin,” she leaned forward and whispered, “Why are we being serious?”

Tony shook his head, sighed heavily, and scrubbed at his face. “How many, Darcy, and how long ago did you take them?”

He was still serious; she was starting to get worried, and her buzz was beginning to wear off. When she spoke, her voice seemed very small. “I took four, at about five o’clock, why?”

“It’s almost nine; Jane was starting to get worried."

"She's probably just mad I wasn't there to make her coffee." Darcy grumbled.

Tony shook his head again, "JARVIS, inform Dr. Foster that Ms. Lewis is sick and will be unable to come to the lab today.”

“Yes sir. Dr. Foster is inquiring as to whether she is needed to help Ms. Lewis.”

“No, tell Dr. Foster that I’m going to get Ms. Lewis settled and I should be back up in the lab in about an hour.”

“Duly notified, is there anything else sir?” the AI politely asked.

“No, that’s all for now JARVIS.” Tony turned to Darcy, “Come on Kiddo, let’s get you up, and moving. Lots of water and moving around, that’s the only way to flush all that out. You’re gonna have a wicked headache when this is all over.”

“Damn, that’s why I took ‘em in the first place.” She grumbled as Tony hooked one of her arms over his shoulders and forced her to walk to her kitchen. 

He deposited her roughly in one of her kitchen chairs, grabbed a water bottle from her fridge, and thrust it at her. “Drink this.” He ordered gruffly.

She scowled at him, but did what he told her to do. “What’s your problem, man?”

“Problem? Hmm you see, I don’t like it when I can’t solve a problem. And you’re becoming a problem. Four Vicodin doesn’t necessarily qualify as an overdose, but you’re riding the line. So what’s _your_ problem?” he turned the question back at her.

She took several long swallows of water. “I don’t want to talk about it.” She said sullenly.

He shook his head, “Not an option.”

She quickly chugged the rest of the water as the headache began to creep back. “I came back to my apartment last night and drank a little too much. I woke up with a hangover and thought the Vicodin would work better than regular old Tylenol.” She grimaced at the pain. “Look, I totally owe you for fixing everything with Jane and I promise I’ll be raring to go tomorrow, but that wicked headache you promised is kicking in and I don’t feel up to company anymore.”

He narrowed his eyes at her and cocked his head to the side like he was analyzing a difficult equation. After a while, he grabbed another water bottle from her fridge and handed it to her. “Okay, I’m going to take your word on this for now, but you’re not off the hook. I’ll be watching you.” He patted her roughly on the shoulder and left.

She spent the next few hours trying to do anything other than think about Him, or the fact that now Tony Stark was suspicious of her. Her headache raged, and she paced. She played around on the internet; she pulled out her exercise bike and did about twenty miles. She did everything she could to avoid it, but when she went back into her room to grab some clothes to change into after her shower, she saw the bolt cutters on the floor and she finally lost it.  

Collapsing to the floor she clutched the bolt cutters to her chest and sobbed and cried until she was wrung out. He hadn’t lied to her but she felt betrayed anyways. It was her own stupid fault for falling for someone she barely knew; hell until last night she hadn’t even known his name.

She took a deep shuddering breath, and another, and another until the tears stopped and she felt mostly in control. She cracked her neck, rolled her shoulders, and sat up straighter. “Fuck this,” she hissed. “I am a strong independent woman and I don't do this overdramatic shit.” She flung the bolt cutters under her bed and stood up. She was a modern woman, with modern tools at her disposal. For the next few hours, she researched on the internet about sleep, how to avoid it, sleep cycles, dreams, REM sleep, and how long someone could go without sleep, before it affected their health.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

So it was three days later, surviving on coffee, Red Bull, and endless hours of pacing that she found herself hacking JARVIS, and breaking into Tony and Pepper’s suite. Pepper was in D.C. and Tony was down in the lab. She snuck into their ensuite bathroom, and rifled through Tony’s personal medicine cabinet. She hoped to find some Xanax or Valium. According to the internet, those two drugs were supposed to suppress REM sleep. ‘Big stupid mess,’ she thought. ‘Jackpot!’ Xanax, he had Xanax! She looked at the prescription date and the number of pills. It looked like he had gotten the prescription a while ago and wasn’t using it. She stuffed a dozen of the pills in her pocket, closed everything back up the way she found it, and snuck back to her apartment. She dumped the pills in the Tylenol bottle and hurried back up to the lab.

She wasn’t afraid of Him, but she wasn’t ready to talk to Him either.

Jane was so busy being brilliant that she hadn’t noticed anything different with Darcy but Darcy had found it increasingly difficult to hide her self-inflicted sleep deprivation from Tony’s ever-watchful eyes. She needed sleep but she wanted a guaranteed way to avoid Him.

She had thought a lot in the past few days. Would it have been different if she had known from the beginning that it was Him? She wasn’t completely sure. Three thousand years was a terrible punishment even for him. But it hadn’t really been that long; she was kinda unclear about that point. It hadn’t been and yet somehow it had been. So the punishment was mostly appropriate. But punishment was also meant to make the accused realize their culpability in their actions. There had been moments where he had seemed to regret his actions, but that last night he seemed almost to revel in what he had done. She wished she had let him tell her before she had released him. He’d gone Senor Psychopath with all that ‘Say My Name!’ crap. She just wasn’t sure which was the real him, the sarcastic, playful, lonely, slightly broken guy she had been getting to know, or the pompous egomaniacal villain that he’d been as she left. She heaved a heavy sigh, and stretched. Crap, Tony was watching her again. She plastered what she hoped looked like a genuine smile on her face and buried herself in her data entry.

Several long tiring hours later, she dragged herself back to her apartment. She took a long hot shower, and pulled on her slouchy pj’s. She was utterly exhausted; she’d gone almost ninety hours without sleep. She didn’t even bother with drying her hair she just took one of Tony’s Xanax, and prayed that she wouldn’t dream as she crawled into bed…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When she opened her eyes to find herself back in the void she nearly screamed in frustration. His back was to her and he seemed not to have noticed her appearance. Fine, she didn’t really want talk to him anyway. Something felt off though. She couldn’t move as easily, she felt heavy and sluggish, and when she looked down, she realized she was invisible. “Whoa.” She whispered and he turned. His eyes searched but he could not see her. “Darcy?” he questioned the air around him. He looked half-mad as he spun about looking for her. He pulled at his hair and his clothes as he mumbled to himself.

 He looked terrible, gone was the arrogance, and anger. He was haggard, his clothes torn, and he looked as if he had been beaten. There were bruises on his face, and dried blood on the rips of his tunic. Had he well and truly lost his mind and done this to himself? He had said before that she was the only soul he had seen since his imprisonment. Even with all that had happened, she still longed to reach out to help him, to give him water, to bind his wounds. His face was pale and his eyes blood-shot.

“ODIN, ANSWER ME!” he screamed out suddenly, she clamped her hands over her mouth to keep from crying out. “You take her from me and now you allow The Other to torture me. How are you the benevolent one? I have done my penance! ALL-FATHER! You made me endure three millennia of darkness, all condensed in less than a year. Then you allowed me a bright hope, which you then ripped away! You lied to me! DAMN YOU!!” he trailed off muttering again. He curled in on himself, folding his long legs up to his body and resting his chin on his knees.

  His voice was ragged and grating. He had been tortured, well that explained his appearance. She was so hurt and angry at the same time. He seemed upset that she was gone but he had pushed her away. Why? He seemed so bi-polar.

Suddenly he went still. He turned around, unfolding his long limbs in the process, facing her, and inhaled deeply. Her hair was still wet. She blanched, he could smell her hair. She wasn’t truly afraid of him but he was acting so erratic she wasn’t sure how he would act if he found her there, eavesdropping on him.

He muttered something and flipped his hands a bit but nothing happened. He looked around disappointed, and stared angrily at his hands. He flicked his wrist and a bright green flame erupted from his palm. He watched it for a moment and flicked his hand again, the flame disappeared, and a great blade of ice formed around his hand. He watched dispassionately as his hand and arm began to turn blue. He swung the great blade, turning and moving with the precision of a trained warrior. He moved swiftly cutting through the air around him fighting some pretend foe, like shadowboxing. He moved like a panther, his body was lithe and smooth. She watched as he worked and fought out his frustration.

What seemed like several hours later, he came to an abrupt stop. The ice blade disappeared as he hung limp. He breathed in great heaving pants; his body covered in a sheen of sweat, his lightweight tunic was soaked by it. His hair hung in his face, and it took every ounce of willpower she possessed not to reach out and brush it from his face.

He began mumbling again but this time she was close enough to hear. “I should have told her right away, but how could she love that?” He glared at the hand that was slowly returning to Aesir flesh. “I suppose it matters not, she’ll never return. Blue Jotun freak or the Asgardian who attempted to subjugate her people, either way I’m a monster.” He pushed his hair back and threw back his head. “Do you hear that All-Father? I’ve come to accept it. I cannot change it; I am a two-sided coin, the monster and the disgraced prince. And neither are worthy of her.” He shook his head and whispered so softly she could barely hear him, “I loved her, and even that was taken from me.”

Tears coursed down her cheeks and she was about to speak out when his eyes rolled back in his head and his whole body went stiff as a board. He fought against some unseen foe as his hands and feet pulled back in a mockery of the binding she had loosed him from.

He hissed as an unseen knife sliced through the flesh of his back. He shook his head as he grit his teeth. His head wrenched back as he flinched from some unseen blow to the face. Blood ran down his chin from his split lower lip. His voice was low and menacing as he spoke to the one who injured him. “You can no longer control me, that’s why,” he chuckled darkly.

He was quiet for a moment and then shook his head again. “I have no way to access it. I am imprisoned. I am of no further use to you.” He doubled over as something hit him in the solar plexus. “I have nothing left to give you,” he wheezed.

He straightened up a bit and glared hatefully at some unseen thing, “No,” he growled. “NO!” he shouted as he convulsed, in greater pain than she’d ever seen. She reached for him then, but her hand passed right through his body. The convulsions slowed and he seethed with rage. “If you lay one scaly finger on her, I’ll…” the rest of his statement was lost as the unseen one choked him.

She cried and began to pray to Odin himself; prayers that he would save his son, prayers that he wouldn’t let his son endure this torment any longer. Nothing seemed to happen. He struggled a bit longer and then the being released him. He took in great ragged gulps of air. His voice was hoarse and guttural, “You cannot touch her, she is gone, she is hidden from me, from you, and even if you could find her, she is protected. By the very one that destroyed your army.” He threw back his head and went stiff as the unseen knife sliced slowly through the flesh of his chest, not deep enough to do any real damage but enough to make him bleed.

He shook his head dejectedly, “I cannot give you what I do not have.” He seemed to have stopped fighting. Another cut slowly made its way across his abdomen.

She cried and screamed at the unseen force. She watched as his blood seeped through his tunic. Helpless and angry beyond belief she began whispering in his ear, unsure whether he could even hear her. “I love you Loki, Fight back. Don’t let the bastards hurt you. Use your magic, do whatever you have to, but don’t give in, keep fighting. Come on babe, you can do this. I believe in you. Fight Back. Please, we gotta work out this thing between us, but we can’t do that if you give up. I love you and I need you to come back to me!” She continued to whisper encouragements in his ear.

His body doubled again as he took and another blow to the stomach. A dark laugh rumbled through him and he growled. “Do your worst, I will never give you what you desire.” His head turned sharply as he took another hit to the face. Blood dripped from his nose. He grinned manically “You are not as great as you think you are.” His whole body moved as if shoved roughly.

Finally, his eyes cleared and he seemed to come out of whatever trance the unseen one had held him in. He shuddered a few times as if roused from sleep. He looked around longingly. She was certain he searched for her. He sighed heavily, slowly pulled his ruined tunic off, and tore the sleeves apart to create makeshift bandages. She wanted to speak to him, but she then she felt the familiar pull of wakefulness.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She turned off her alarm and rolled to her side. It was six a.m. her day had yet to begin and she already felt exhausted.


	10. Chapter 10

She turned off her alarm and rolled to her side. It was six a.m., her day had yet to begin, and she already felt exhausted. There was no headache to contend with at least. She put on her glasses and woodenly got up and went into the kitchen to start her coffee maker first. Then she wandered into the bathroom and stared at her reflection. She looked like the walking dead. Her complexion was off and she had terrible bags under her eyes. With a resigned sigh she went through her normal routines; she brushed her teeth and her hair. She put on a little make-up hoping to hide the lack of sleep obvious on her face.

She changed clothes, went into the kitchen, poured herself a cup of coffee, and sat down heavily. What the hell was she supposed to do now? He had said he loved her, but he had pushed her way. She wasn’t afraid of him, but his actions had been so crazy. Something happened after they had made out. He said he figured it out, that he hadn’t been there but nine months but that didn’t seem like enough to drive him to act the way he had. From the first time she saw him blue, she understood that wasn’t how he normally looked. He had ranted about having his magic taken from him and about being blue, but she’d never even thought about what he would have looked like normally. There were so many things she could guess after watching him last night. His magic was back, which was probably why his appearance changed. He had a lot **a lot** of daddy issues. He was painfully insecure, though what she still didn’t understand was why he pushed her away, why he went all villainous. It was like he wanted her to hate him. With a sigh she looked up and noticed the time, it was almost seven. So she grabbed a granola bar, her iPod, her cell phone, and headed up to the lab.

The day dragged by so slowly. Jane had been excited that morning; they were doing some more test runs. Tony was in the lab bright and early helping to set up for the day. She and Jane had talked for almost an hour as they got some of the equipment ready for the test runs. Darcy was mostly silent, which of course was highly unusual, but the only one to take any notice was Stark.

By two in the afternoon she was feeling pretty wasted and was thinking about brewing up another pot coffee. There were a lot more people in the lab that day, techs and other science people, because of the tests, so there was bound to be someone to help her drink it. She had been thinking all day long about Loki, he had so many problems. He had been punished for so long. To cram three thousand years of punishment into nine months’ time was bat-shit crazy. He seemed so sad and alone because she hadn’t returned; he’d even said that he loved her. Tears clouded her vision as she tried to type. He fought so hard against the torture, was Odin responsible for the that? It seemed like something the twisted son of bitch might do. She shook her head and sniffed. Poor Loki, just when he seemed to be getting better, all this crap happened and he lost most of the ground he had gained. His road to redemption was rough, it seemed for every single step he took forward, he stumbled two back. Her heart broke for him, because despite all the craziness from Monday night she still loved him. With a start, she realized how badly her own reaction must have hurt him. She was so shocked by his transformation, by the fact that her sad lonely blue alien was Loki, that she had recoiled from him. As insecure as he was, pulling away from him was probably the worst thing she could have done.

She sniffed again and swiped her hand under her eyes. She really did need some coffee. She saved the page she was working on and was about to get up to make some, when a cup of heaven was thrust under her nose. She looked up to see the wonderfulness being held by a smirking Tony Stark.

“Aww, thank you Tony, you’re my new BFF! Did you hear that Jane? Tony comes with caffeinated offerings, you’ve been replaced!” She announced loudly across the lab. She gave him a big smile and asked, “So what made you bring me this happy cup of joy?” She sipped at the latte (made just the way she liked it, from her favorite little coffee shop) and sighed in contentment.

He dragged a chair over and sat beside her as she enjoyed her latte. “I can be nice, when I want to. Besides I couldn’t hardly think with you sitting over here looking like someone just kicked your puppy. So, what’s up with the mopey face, you and the ex-con on the outs?”

She nearly did a hot latte spit take. She coughed and sputtered, “Dude! Shut up!” she hissed.

He merely grinned as Jane called across the lab, “You okay Darcy?”

She coughed a bit more and answered, “Yeah yeah, I’m fine, just tried to inhale the latte.” Jane nodded and went back to her work.

Darcy turned on Tony and narrowed her eyes, “You better watch it mister, crazy shit like that will sooo get you banned from the Darcy Lewis BFF club.”

He leaned back in the chair and smirked. “Happy or pissed, at least you’re not doing the whole gloomy thing anymore.” He sat forward and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Look, I know Jane’s been real busy and Steve’s offered to talk but since you’ve not taken his offer I just wanted to check up on you. Everyone seems to think that I’m petty and self-centered,” Darcy gave him a look that clearly said she agreed with that thought.

“Well okay I am, but lately I’ve been thinking a lot about you. No creepy stalker stuff, I’m just worried about you kiddo. I see the make-up sorta covering the bags under your eyes and that makes me think you’ve not been sleeping well. So either you and the ex-con broke up or you’re going through some pretty heavy shit. So do you want to talk about it?”

 She shook her head and he looked relieved. “Naw, you don’t really want to hear my girl problems, but thanks for the offer.” ‘Besides,’ she thought. ‘How can I tell him I totally made out with and fell in love with the guy who threw him out a window?’ Her eyes grew wide at the thought.

Tony watched her closely. “I know I don’t seem the type but I just wanted to let you know that if you need to talk I’m here.” He grimaced, “Ugh, I sound like a therapist.” He shook his head and stood up. Darcy reached out and grabbed his wrist before he could walk away.

“No you don’t, you sound like a friend.” She placed her latte on the table, stood up and gave him a tight hug. Her voice was thick when she finally spoke, whispering into his chest. “I’m a big freaking mess. It’s nobody’s fault but my own and I just want to… um… well... um... thanks.” She sniffed and stepped back as she tried to discreetly swipe at the few tears that had escaped. “Geez, I’m an emotional wreck. Sorry about your shirt.”

Tony looked down at her, and gave her a genuine smile, “No problem kiddo, I do my best to take care of the important stuff.” He ruffled her hair with a wink. “I guess you qualify.”

“You know, it’s too bad your folks didn’t have more kids. You would have made a great big brother,” she grinned.

Tony looked shocked, and then his face turned a little wicked, “So should I go beat the crap out of the ex-con for breaking my little sister’s heart?”

Darcy burst out laughing, and most everybody in the lab turned to gape. She got herself back under control and sassed, “Oh go back to work you nosey busybodies.” Then she turned to Tony with a chuckle, “As much as I really would actually like to see you do that, I think we kinda hurt each other. It wasn’t pretty for either of us. I still want to try and work it out with him, and if you beat the crap out of him that might be hard to do. But thanks all the same.” The equipment behind them made an odd whirring noise and she heard a tech call for Jane. “Thanks Tony, I rea…”

Suddenly there was a high-pitched whine from the machine and a large piece of metal flew off. Darcy turned around just in time to see the flying metal from the corner of her eye.

She blinked, the lights were flickering, and there was something wet in her hair. Tony was kneeling beside her. When did she lie down? Jane was yelling and Tony was saying something but there was weird ringing in her ears and she felt really sleepy. She smiled up at him. “I think I’m gonna take a little nap,” she whispered.

“Stay with me kiddo.” Tony was holding her, when did that happen?

She reached up to pat his cheek, there was blood on her hand, huh, weird, “It’s all good big bro,” she giggled. “Just a few minutes…” she trailed off, as her eyelids grew heavy.

She heard Tony call her name a few times but it seemed so far away…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The madness beckoned. She was never coming back. His magic had returned but it had limits in this place. He could do a great many things, duplicate himself, and even shape-shift, but he could not leave. Through his magic, he had been able to find her and watch her after she left. She did not cry, or seem angry, only numb. He had been watching her for less than an hour when The Other had found him. The return of his magic had given The Other a way to trace him. Even without the scepter, The Other and Thanos could summon his consciousness at will.

There were no guards, or wardens; this void, this empty place was unobserved by any in Asgard. He railed at Odin, but none knew of his torment. He wanted to hate them, her and Odin for it, but truly had she never come, he would never have been released, and his magic would still be bound as well. He would have been bound, gagged, and alone in utter darkness, but safe from those who sought to use him.

He sighed heavily, he healed relatively quickly, and the summonings were not as frequent, nor as long as they had been when his magic had first returned. Between summonings, he watched the one called Ironman trail after her like a nursemaid, but after a few days of it, he stopped watching. She was avoiding sleep. She obviously had no desire to ever see him again.

The isolation, the desolation of coming so close to peace and having it ripped away, the mental and physical torture, was eating at the remains of his battered mind. He thought he heard her voice, imagined the smell of her hair, and his mind manufactured whispered words of comfort during his last encounter with The Other. He thought she had returned, had even used a simple revealing spell in vain. When the spell revealed nothing, he had for the last time used the spell to look at her. She slept soundly on her bed, dreaming. The medication she had stolen from Stark must have worked. She would truly never return.

He hung in silence. The stars around him twinkled merrily, taunting him. His ruined shirt floated nearby, he had not put it back on after his last torture session. It was useless to put the tattered thing back on. The Other enjoyed torturing him, to wear it would only ruin it further, by leaving it off he could use it to bandage his wounds when necessary.

He felt an odd stirring.

So she had decided to return after all. His kept his back to her. He was afraid to speak to her, and enraged too. She had avoided him; she had feared him and rejected him. More than anything, he had desired her acceptance, but she had seen him and recoiled from him. And even now that she deigned to return she was silent, she did not reach out to him. He hardened his heart and determined to be done with her. He would not be the one to pine, he would frighten her so thoroughly she would retreat and never return. He allowed the madness that lurked in his mind to be seen through his eyes, readied himself to create multiple duplicates, all to be burning great green fire from both palms, and all would wear his full Asgardian armor. Still she was silent, his rage built, and he seethed. She would scream, she would beg for mercy, how dare that pathetic insignificant little mortal, make him feel this pain and loss. He allowed the illusion of his armor to cover himself first. Let her see his power returned and let her wonder at his motives, she would see soon enough. There was still no reaction from her. He could bear her indifference no longer.

In the blink of an eye, he turned with an inarticulate scream of rage and she was surrounded by a dozen copies of him, all screaming armored and burning flame. She did not move, her eyes were shut, and she hung limp and lifeless.

The flames and copies fizzled out slowly as he stared at her. The illusion of his armor faded away as he crept closer to her. She was paler than he had ever seen her and there was blood matted in her hair. She was badly injured. He breathed out a strangled curse. He gathered her limp form in his arms, her breathing was shallow and her pulse weak.   

A few simple diagnostic spells determined that she had taken a blow to the head that had rendered her comatose. For once, he was grateful for Thor’s bullying. When they were much younger and it became clear Loki would never be a strong physical fighter, but rather favored using magic in combat, Thor had “encouraged” Loki to learn healing magic so he could aid them better in the aftermath of battles.

He used the viewing spell to see the state of her body. Her body was being attended by several physicians. They moved quickly around her as they assessed her condition. Her blood pressure was low and they checked for cranial fractures. She remained unresponsive; they attached several monitors to her and gave her fluids intravenously. He watched as they ran several tests, cleaned, and dressed her wound. An older gray haired physician spoke to the ones gathered around her bedside. She was comatose, and had some swelling on the brain. The next twenty-four hours would be touch and go. Thor’s woman and the Ironman kept vigil over her body. He ended the spell.

The mortal physician’s efforts were of little concern to him. She was before him. She had previously come to him during her dreams. That her consciousness was here, yet she was unresponsive was worrisome.

Magic was something he had always excelled at, though magic was a simple term for what he did. All Asgardians and apparently Jotuns as well had latent magical ability, though few choose to learn to use it. “Magic” was a basic understanding that everything tangible, living or inanimate, was at its core, made of energy. So then, magic was manipulating that energy and forming it into other things, every bit of that manipulation used energy; energy from the object or person being manipulated, energy from the living beings near the manipulation, and energy from the caster.

Though he had studied healing magic for well over fifty years, he had always been loath to use it. Healing magic was the only form of magic that drew only from the caster alone. To draw energy from the injured or sick party was impossible. In the very act of healing, the healer could drain themselves to dangerous levels. The more emotionally invested the healer was with the injured or sick party the more likely they would drain themselves. This was the reason on Asgard; healers were never permitted to attend to family members.

A more finely tuned diagnostic spell showed a far more dire story than what the physicians had shared with the others. There was a hemorrhage in her brain, and internal bleeding. The mortal physicians had done their best and it wasn’t good enough, without further intervention, she would remain comatose indefinitely.   

His internal debate lasted less than a minute.

He gently cupped her cheek and threaded his other hand through her thick dark hair to rest over where the injury was. He summoned his magic to the fore of his mind and began to “see” the problem. He gently pressed his magic into and through her consciousness and into her delicate mortal mind. He carefully manipulated the fragile tissue, relieving the swelling, and healing every small abrasion. His careful work took time and he soon began to feel his own energy depleting. He worked with the utmost caution, moving slowly as to not damage the tiny nerve endings. Her breathing grew shallower and her heartbeat slowed minutely as he came to the most injured area. He felt himself grow weak and knew he was beginning to wane. There was a hairline fracture of her skull. He healed it slowly and methodically. There was a slightly larger vein with a tear in it; he coaxed the edges together. His hands shook slightly as he finished knitting the vein together. He gently searched through the physical structure of her mind to be certain every damaged part was healed. He carefully removed the excess blood that had pooled in the injured area. He felt his energy falling dangerously low and he carefully pulled back his “sight” from her body and her consciousness.

When he could see clearly, he looked down at her and whispered, “Min elskede.” He held her close cradling her unconscious form against his body. He prayed, though he doubted any listened, prayed that the work he had done would hold, that he had caught every weakened vessel, every bruised nerve ending. He shook his head, his vision was blurred, and his mouth felt so dry. He pushed his magic once more, through the viewing spell he saw the color of her physical body returning, her breathing deepen and her heartbeat even out. The monitors ceased their worrisome noises. He canceled the spell with a slight smile, curled around her, holding her gently, and slipped into unconsciousness himself.


	11. Chapter 11

Pain… His head was throbbing; all around him was a rush of noise. He went to cover his ears but his hands were bound. The Other must have summon…

“I swear I will kick your goddamn mother fucking ass if you don’t let us go, right this fucking minute you stupid scaly son of a bitch!” Darcy growled.

‘Well at least she is doing better’, he thought. He sighed heavily. Of course, The Other would summon his consciousness when he was incapacitated and would drag Darcy along as well. He grunted as a blade dragged through the flesh of his back, and so it began.

“LEAVE HIM THE FUCK ALONE!!” she screeched.

He hissed as the blade crossed through his flesh again. He opened his eyes with great effort. They were on the same bit of rock, the same platform as he was always summoned to. Squinting he saw her, sitting across from him, tied to a large outcrop of rock. He was bound spread eagle this time, his feet hanging several inches from the ground and his arms pulled taut above him, lashed to an overhang. The Other did not cease his work with the blade and Darcy continued to shout at him.

“Enough.” He growled both at The Other and at Darcy.

“Oh my God! You’re alive! Geez, you look awful I thought you were dead!”

She was pale and still had blood matted in her hair. “Well you don’t look so well yourself.” He said flippantly.

“Hey, unnecessary rudeness!” She gasped.

“Oh, do shut up. You’re not helping matters.” Loki rolled his eyes.

“Well sorry,” she grumbled. “Next time I won’t say a damn thing when some ugly S.O.B. decides to carve you up like a Christmas ham.”

“Yes, because screeching at him like a wounded animal was going to make him stop.”

“I had to try right? Wasn’t like you were being real helpful, taking a little catnap.”

“Arrgh, I was unconscious you daft woman!”

“Don’t call me stupid!”

“If the boot fits…”

“You will both cease.” Suddenly The Other was behind Darcy with his hand extended, to Loki an obvious threat of harm. Loki gave her a hard look; hoping to convey the need for her silence.

He had to be careful with his words, she was still healing and fragile, one wrong move from The Other and she would be dead, but they did not call him Silvertongue without reason. “Why do you continue to summon me? I have explained before, my body is imprisoned; I have no contact with Asgard, nor any means of escape. I am no longer of any use to you. Release us.”

“Ah yes, god of lies, you also told us that she was hidden from you and protected by the one that destroyed the Chitauri. It seems she is not so far away now.” The Other growled and hovered over her bound form.

“This will not end well if she is hurt. What sits before you is but a shadow of her consciousness. Her body remains in the care of the Iron Man and his Avengers. You can do no true damage to her, and any attempt will invite their wrath.” He was gambling heavily on The Other’s previous reluctance to encounter any of The Avengers again.

The Other looked at her as though she was some foul thing, “You shall remain safe if you stay silent.” She looked up at The Other with a burning hatred as he moved away from her. Loki watched him carefully, The Other was a dangerous being, and torture was his specialty. Suddenly he was before Loki again, the blade in one hand and the other hand outstretched. Loki could sense the power radiating from his outstretched hand; he would rather feel the bite of the blade than the pain from that noxious power. The Other lingered for a moment, dragging out the torment. “If you cannot help us, then you are of no more use to us alive. The girl will be ransomed and our desires will be granted.”

“You can’t use me like some stupid pawn!” she shouted.

“Be silent!” Loki ordered her and turned to The Other. “The Avengers are not so foolish to risk the whole of humanity for one noisome asinine child.”

She complained but both of them ignored her. “If she is of no use, then she will die as well. Though since she seems to care a great deal more for you than you do for her, you shall die first.”

“Try it and you will regret it. Kill me and you will risk the wrath of Asgard. As for the girl; The Avengers may not trade for her, but they will hunt you down if she is hurt. She is of no consequence, her presence can do nothing but bring you trouble, get rid of her, but do not injure her.”

The Other seemed to contemplate this. “To kill you is to risk to wrath of Odin and Thor… Is the risk worth the pleasure of feeling your life slip away under my grip? Perhaps so, perhaps not, but either way you shall squirm like a meager animal…” The Other wrapped his empty hand around Loki’s throat and began to crush him with that deleterious power. Loki couldn’t breathe; he heard her call out to him in fear. The debilitating pain coursed through him as his body convulsed. He wanted to tell her to shut up, that The Other would not truly risk killing him, that he could survive a little torture, but as his mind disengaged slightly from the situation he began to wonder if The Other would actually kill him this time. Black began to creep into his vision. His heartbeat began to slow and his thoughts became muddled. He could hear her screaming as the black took over his vision completely. His eyes rolled back in his head and he convulsed one last time.   

“LOKI!” she screamed as he convulsed and went limp. The Other released him and paced in front of her.

“Perhaps you could be useful to us after all. No matter what the disgraced prince said, if you are important to The Avengers they may be willing to bargain for your life.”

She hardly heard him as she watched Loki’s body hang limp. He wasn’t moving, his bloodstained chest wasn’t expanding. “Loki…” Tears coursed freely down her cheeks as she screamed and cried until she was hoarse. The Other was still going on and on about some bullshit plan to take over the universe but Darcy only had eyes for Loki’s unnaturally still form. He was beautiful even in death, pale like alabaster, his body lean and muscled like a swimmer. His hair covered most of his face but she could see one of his eyes through the curtain of his hair. A faint tingle went up her spine, it didn’t matter what The Other had planned, she was **sooo** gonna make sure Tony killed him in the most brutal way possible. She straightened up and glared at The Other.

“You have no idea what kind of enemy you just made buddy. I am friends with The Avengers, Thor the god of thunder, The Hulk, Captain fucking America. And Iron Man and me? We‘re like family. I won’t be used like a bargaining chip. I’m about to leave here and when I come back I’m bringing The Avengers back here to kill you.” Her voice was a wreck from screaming.

The Other laughed, “You will not leave here. You have no means of escape, you are our prisoner, and we shall do with you as we please.”

She felt the tingle once more, she spoke to The Other but continued to stare at Loki, “I never thought I’d get to use this line but, You have no power over me.” She giggled madly and just before she left she saw Loki wink at her.

  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

That little shit! He wasn’t dead! She was in the void again, that kinda confused her. Loki’s body hung taut spread eagle. She floated over to him and began to whisper in his ear.

“Hey, you ornery little shit. I really thought you were dead. When I left, I thought I was going to wake up at home, but I’m still here in the void. I hope that scaly guy can’t hear me or see me.”

“No he cannot.” His body relaxed and he floated back a bit to look at her better.

Darcy shrieked in surprise as Loki spoke. “Dammit! You nearly gave me a heart attack back there!” Her voice broke a little and she wrapped her arms around him and whispered, “I thought he’d killed you.”

He wrapped his arms around her in return, “If being tossed around like a ragdoll by that green menace didn’t kill me then the likes of The Other bears no true threat. You sounded concerned for me. I’m touched.”

Tears of relief sprang to her eyes. “Of course I was.” She pulled away from him narrowed her eyes at him. “Hey, you called me stupid! Twice!” She lightly slapped at his bare chest.

He gave her a lopsided grin as her ran his hand through his hair. “I would have said almost anything to spare you the pain I endured at his hand, but rested assured I know you are far from unintelligent. Your health is still fragile, and I could not bear it if you were injured further, not when I could prevent it.”  

She gave him a puzzled look, “What do you mean injured further?”

He tilted his head to the side as he looked her. “What is the last thing you remember before you awoke on that rock?”

The question threw her, “Umm, well I remember working in the lab and Tony brought me a coffee, and, umm, we were joking around, and umm anything beyond that is kinda fuzzy. Why?”

He frowned in thought, “I think it would be best if I show you.” He floated around behind her, pulled her back against him, wrapped his arms around her, and threaded his fingers loosely around hers. She giggled and was about to say something but he shushed her, “I need to concentrate, my magic is not yet fully restored and for this to work I need you to be quiet.” She nodded and went still. His magic moved sluggishly as he pushed it through the viewing spell. He held their entwined hands open before her so she could see as well.

_Her body was lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to monitors and I.V.’s. It was night outside. Jane slept close-by on a bench under the window of her room and Tony was barely awake slumped in an uncomfortable looking chair right beside her. He was holding her hand and mumbling something when Pepper came in and gently touched his shoulder. He looked up as she asked him a question. He shook his head and buried his face in Pepper’s stomach. Pepper ran her hand through his hair and whispered to him. And all the while Tony continued to hold Darcy’s hand._

Loki’s hands shook slightly as he ended the spell. Darcy wrapped his arms around her and laid her head back on his shoulder. “I got hurt pretty bad didn’t I?” she whispered. He nodded. “You fixed me up though, right? That’s why your magic isn’t fully restored or whatever?” He nodded again. “Thank you.” They floated like that, him wrapped around her, for a long time. She may have drifted off for a bit, but she had never felt more comfortable, more safe than in his arms. She could spend eternity like this, but there was still the massive elephant floating around them, that they had yet to discuss.

And so she reluctantly pulled slightly away from him and turned so she could face him as she spoke softly, “Look, I know what you were doing the other day when your magic returned. I’ve watched enough movies, read enough books. I know you were trying to push me away because you thought I was going to reject you when I found out who you really were. I get that it was some kind of defense, but it seriously pisses me off. I also get that your way smarter than me, but you didn’t even give me a chance to form my own opinion about it.”

Her voice began to rise as she went on. “I’ve spent the last four days trying to figure out what the hell happened. You went a little cray cray on me. Say my name? Really? Want a side of evil villain to go with your megalomania? But, I guess my biggest question is, what the hell did you mean you’d do it all again? Like you wouldn’t change what you’ve done in the past or like if you were free you’d kill more people and try to conquer earth again? ‘Cause I’m not gonna lie, if you try that shit again, you and me are gonna have problems.”

She heaved a sigh and turned her back to him, it would be easier to say the last bit if she wasn’t facing him. “But whatever… My feelings for you developed before I truly knew who you were, but that doesn’t mean that knowing your name or what you’ve done changes my mind. Human hearts are silly and fickle things, but once they’re set on something they tend to stay there.” She closed her eyes against the tears, and took a deep breath, “You killed so many people in New York and I really want to be pissed about that but you’ve also been brutally punished for it. Right or wrong… whether you feel the same way or not… I love you.”

He had remained quiet during her whole rant and was quiet still. She wanted to turn around and see his reaction but she was unsure of who she would be faced with. Would he be the snarky lonely guy she fell in love with or the crazy guy who tried to conquer New York? She took a deep breath and finally turned around. His arms were wrapped tightly around himself, his head bowed, his eyes squeezed shut, and a single tear had coursed down his face. She floated closer as her heart did flips in her chest. Why was he doing this, what did this mean? She reached out and softly brushed the tear from his cheek. “Loki?” she whispered.

His eyes popped open and for the first time she could truly see him, he hid nothing in his gaze. “I am a monster. I have done truly evil things and I hate everything I’ve done, but I would change nothing of my past. Because everything I have done has led me here, to this moment, to you. And you are worth all the pain and sorrow, min elskede.” his voice was thick. “Min elskede, min elskede.” He repeated it over and over. He pulled her into his arms and buried his face in the crook of her neck. In his bright green eyes, she had seen the truth, he was afraid to love, afraid of being loved. He had been hurt so terribly, had hurt others so terribly. None of it mattered. She loved him and no one, not even he, could change that. Even the fact that he had never said that he loved her, to her face didn’t matter. She had heard him mumble it to himself and for now, that was enough.

His tears bathed her neck, and in spite of herself, she began to cry as well. She shook her head, and began to giggle. He pulled away from her with a hurt look. She smiled brightly through her tears and laughed that much harder. “You know what babe? It’s never gonna be easy between us but it’s gonna be one helluva ride!” She choked out between the tears and laughter.

His face broke out in the brightest warmest smile she’d ever seen. It took her breath away. She gently laid her hand on his cheek and his eyes slid shut as he leaned into her palm. She gave a shuddering sigh, and his eyes popped back open. The bright grassy color of his eyes had deepened to a darker emerald and his smile had slipped to something far more carnal. His hands slid around her waist and pulled her close. Her hands skittered lightly over his chest, his very naked, slightly bloody, but completely healed chest. “You’re not wearing a shirt…,” she mumbled.

He chuckled darkly, “No I am not.”

His skin was pale and still cool to the touch, and if she really concentrated, she could almost feel the ridges of his scarification under her fingertips. Maybe it was because his magic was weakened but still she wondered. She leaned forward gently ran the tip of her tongue over the place where the swirling ridge at the hollow of his throat had been. Though unseen, the sensitive ridge was definitely still there. She heard his sharp intake of breath, felt his hand tighten on her back, and though he held himself still, she smiled. She gripped his shoulders, hitched her knees on either side on his hips, and slowly dragged the flat of her tongue up a ridge that ran the length of his neck.

With a quiet growl he was in motion, kissing her fiercely, one hand buried itself in her hair, and the other slid under the waistband of her blue jeans to grab her ass, pulling her firmly against him. His hands were large and his fingers like his body were long and lean. This time there were no restraints to hold him back. She moaned from the way fit together, her softness to his hardness. As she ground against him, his tongue, his still gloriously cold tongue, invaded her mouth. A whimper crawled up her throat as they moved together, clutching at one another.

His hand slid upward taking her sweater with it. He tugged roughly at it trying to pull it higher. She leaned back slightly, quickly pulling it off. His smile was nearly feral as he gazed at her exposed flesh. She barely had the chance to breathe before he was against her, his lips and teeth moving along her jaw and neck. She pressed against him, one hand in his hair the other across his shoulders holding them together. Her breath stuttered as his teeth came to the sensitive junction of her jaw and neck. The hickey from five days previous was finally beginning to fade. She could feel his smirk against her skin as he nipped at his fading mark. A soft moan escaped her lips as he bit and sucked at the spot, bringing it again to full bloom. His hand held her head and neck still as he kissed and sucked at her. His other hand was far from still, it swept along her spine drawing shivers from her; it cupped her ass pressing her yielding notch against his growing hardness.

She sighed his name and pulled lightly on his hair. He raised his eyes to meet her and she felt undone by the sheer want in his gaze. She smiled softly and tightened her legs around his narrow hips. With her hands on his shoulders, she ground against him. His hands dropped to the curve of her ass, and pulled and dragged her against him. Eyes locked they moved together in an instinctual rhythm pantomiming the motions of sex, her breath became a mantra of his name as he panted and growled. Her fingernails tightened on his shoulders digging into a ridge and his straining erection pressed harder into her. She gasped and breaking eye contact arched her back and threw back her head.

She felt another shiver run up her spine and she recognized it for what it was. Tears sprang to her eyes as she clutched him tighter. “I’m about to wake up,” she whispered brokenly. He shook his head and held her closer, kissing her with an almost frantic need, their bodies meeting once more and…  

and…

…she couldn’t breathe, she was coming apart, she clutched at him,

…she was waking up, she was drowning in sensation, and her head throbbed like she’d been hit with mew-mew. Tony was holding her hand but then he wasn’t. All around her was light and the sounds of shouting, but she knew everything would be fine because Loki was still with her and for the moment that was all that she cared about.       

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, real life caught up with me, I've been crazy busy, but I think I'm pretty much back on schedule. Hopefully weekly updates until this wraps up. Maybe another 5 or 6 chapters. 
> 
>  
> 
> Sorry for the cliffie, I will get to the good stuff soon, I promise. Thanks again for all the reviews!!


	12. Chapter 12

She could hear Tony, Pepper, and Jane all talking at once. Loki lay heavily on top of her, and though he appeared completely unconscious, she could feel the tension in his muscles. His face was still buried in the crook of her neck. She quickly whispered in his ear, “I got this, follow my lead.”

There was an almost imperceptible whisper, “Use caution.” She nodded; she could feel him trying to gather his magic.

“Hey!” she grunted to get their attention. She squinted against the harsh fluorescent lights. Someone floundered with something on the bedside table and then Jane came into view as she slid Darcy’s glasses on. “Hi,” she grinned at Jane. Jane gave her a watery smile in return. Tony stood by glaring at Loki’s back. “Hey could I get a drink of water? I’m hella thirsty,” she rasped. Jane gave her a sip from a small cup with a straw.

“Who’s the guy?” Tony sounded more serious then Darcy had ever heard before.

Darcy wrapped her arms around Loki, holding his head gently. “You guys may want to sit down this is kinda a long story.” She sighed.

Jane sat, Pepper vanished to parts unknown, and Tony remained standing with his arms crossed. “Give us the short version. When a random unconscious guy appears laying on top of a coma patient the docs tend to call the cops, who will call SHIELD.”

“Okay, umm remember the weird ass dreams I was having about a guy with a stitched up mouth in a dark void? Well, here he is… ta daa” she laughed weakly.

Tony’s eyes narrowed, “He’s also the ex-con, isn’t he?” Darcy nodded. “Talk fast kiddo, I don’t feel like being real calm about this, and Fury’s gonna be worse.”

“Ok, yeah so he’s an alien ex-con who did some terrible stuff like three thousand years ago. He was locked up, with his hands and feet bound, his mouth stitched up and floating in this pitch-black anti-grav void, all alone for 3250 years, it was totally cruel and unusual, but he’s done his time and he’s a good guy now. Please Tony you gotta believe me,” she pleaded.    

“Is he why you stole the bolt cutters?” Tony shook his head, “Sorry stupid question, of course he was. It’s a good thing he’s unconscious, cause otherwise I might follow through with that promised ass-beating.”

Darcy felt a subtle tensing in Loki’s shoulders, and she ran her fingers through his hair trying to calm him. Fortunately, Tony was on a roll and noticed none of it. “I’m gonna go see how long we have till Agent Hill arrives, I’m sure she’s already on her way. We’ll get him a separate bed till he wakes up; and after he does I have some questions for him. Pepper’s already taking care of the doctors and the nurses. I don’t understand how any of this happened, but I’m gonna figure it out. You got a lot of questions to answer too.”

He turned to Jane, “If he wakes up, or if he seems dangerous at all, use Darcy’s taser.” He pulled out his cellphone. “This shouldn’t take too long I’ll be right back.” As he left the room, Tony was already on the phone.

Jane looked hurt and angry. “Darcy, why didn’t you tell me what was going on? This is so crazy! I mean you hardly know the guy. You’re breaking a murdering ex-con out of some kind of space jail. You could be breaking universal laws or something! You could be putting the whole Earth in danger!” Jane stood and began to pace. “Dammit, Darcy don’t you ever think before you do these things? How could you be so stupid?”

Tears pricked the edges of Darcy’s vision, “Well there’s your answer Jane. You wanna know why I don’t talk to you about important stuff? Because, I don’t really like being called stupid. You’re making a lot of assumptions here and not really giving me any reason to tell you jack shit! I just woke up from a coma, I don’t need this. Get the hell out and come back when you’re able to take the stick out of your butt and try to trust me before you judge me.”

Tears flooded Jane’s eyes as her words caught up with her, “Oh Darcy I didn’t mean…”

“Save it. Why don’t you come back when I’m ready to hear it. Cause right now, I am way too pissed off to hear a goddamn word you say.” Jane turned abruptly and left the room.

“That went well,” Darcy, sighed heavily.

When the door slammed, Loki raised his head. “This was poorly timed. I would have much rather finished what we started.” He had a devious look on his face.

“You and me both.” She agreed and then sighed heavily. “Hey can you magic us out of here? Cause I’m not gonna lie, we are in some deep shit. Tony’s pissed, we’re gonna have SHIELD here soon and I’m not really feeling up to running for it.”

He shook his head. “No, sadly there’s not much I can do right now. I am severely weakened from my time in the void, physically and magically.” He dropped his head to her shoulder.

“Can you do anything with your magic? Cause if you can at least disguise your face that would probably be a good idea.”

She felt his grin against her neck. He lifted his head and she let out a small gasp. His face looked a little like Orlando Bloom. His hair was slightly lighter in color and he had a goatee. It was startling to see the far different face on him. He shifted a bit, taking most of his weight off her body. He lay mostly beside her and watched her with his piercing green eyes. “My magic is almost depleted, but I should but able to maintain this small glamour until it becomes unnecessary to do so. We are both weakened; we should rest until they return.”

She nodded and closed her eyes. “What do I tell them your name is?”

“Tell them my name is unpronounceable for humans, that you just call me Tom.”

She giggled a bit, “Okay,” she yawned and began to relax until a terrible thought occurred to her. “If we go to sleep will you disappear, like will you get sucked back into the void? Cause you know it’s was nice seeing you in my dreams and all, but I really like having you here with me in real life, and I don’t think I could handle it if I lost you now, I mean I totally lost my shit when I thought that scaly S.O.B. had killed you and I really…”

He lay a gentle hand across her mouth, “Min elskede, please calm yourself. It will be all right. I promise I’m not going anywhere.” He smiled and laid his head on her shoulder again.

“You keep saying that… mean elks kay da… what does that mean?”

He looked up at her and dropped the glamour, his face scrunched up as he contemplated his answer. “Hmm, I thought you knew… I thought the All-speak would translate it… Uh it means,” he stammered.

She giggled; it was funny to see the god of lies blush. “Hey, it’s all good, don’t worry I won’t be embarrassed by a nickname, so long as it’s not a dig about the gap in my teeth or something.”

He smiled and dipped his head a bit. “It means My Beloved,” he whispered. He heard her small gasp. He looked up to see her eyes well with tears and a bright glorious smile stretch across her face.

“You love me?” She whispered, she really, really needed to hear him say it to her.

He nodded, “Of course I do, you silly girl.”

“It’s just you never said it to me, and I didn’t want to push or anything…”

“I love you Darcy Lewis. Until I die, until the end of time, until Ragnarok. I love you.” Darcy pulled him to her and kissed him messily, joyously. She felt his face shift under her fingertips.

“Seriously I can’t leave you two alone for five minutes.” Tony grumbled.

Loki buried his face in the crook of Darcy’s neck as she groused, “Tony, you have awful timing.”

“Do I want to know why Jane is out in the hall crying? Never mind, I have more important things to deal with. Okay ex-con I know you’re awake. We have less thirty minutes till SHIELD arrives and I want answers before I turn you over to them. Get outta her bed. Now.” Tony demanded.

Loki scowled but stood slowly and sat in the chair beside her bed. Darcy pressed the button to raise the head of her bed so she was sitting.

“Tony…” Darcy whined.

Tony frowned at her, “Hush kiddo, the grown-ups are talking. So who are you and how did you convince her to break you out?” He turned his back on her as he continued to interrogate Loki.

Darcy hardly heard anything else as she slowly painfully pushed herself to standing. She pulled the oxygen tube off her face and wrestled with the IV line. The room spun around her and her shaky legs felt like they might fail her but she walked up behind Tony and shoved with all her might. He hardly moved, but turned to see Darcy wobbling behind him. He reached out and grabbed her elbow to steady her. She tried to slap him, but her movements were slow and uncoordinated and Tony caught her hand easily.

“What the hell, Darcy?” He attempted to help her back to her bed but she resisted.

“Damn it! I am a grown woman, you do not get to treat me like a child Anthony Edward Stark!” she growled.

Tony stumbled a bit. “How do you know my full name?”

“I googled it.” She hissed as he quickly picked her up and plopped her on her bed.

“I’ll tell you what, you stop acting like a child, and I’ll stop treating you like one.” He grinned at her and turned back to Loki.

Loki stood tall and squared his shoulders, Darcy could see the slight tremor in his limbs, but he seemed imposing none-the-less. “Do not manhandle her.” Loki’s voice sounded deeper and raspier than normal.

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

Loki took one long legged step, towered over Tony and nearly growled, “She was recently wounded whilst under your care, and is still in a fragile state.”

“You think I don’t know that? I’ve been here by her bed the whole time. While you been what… making out with her in la-la land?”

Darcy could see the rage building in Loki’s manufactured features, “When she arrived in the void she was unconscious and I healed her, you imbecile.”

“Nope, that would be Doctor Jones.”

“Wrong, your physicians were not truthful with you. She had a hemorrhage in her brain, internal bleeding, and a hairline fracture of her skull, combined with dangerously low blood pressure and severe swelling. They would not operate for fear of her bleeding out on the table. They choose not to inform you or her friend, but she was dying as you sat at her bedside. I healed her injuries whilst still in the void, which is the only reason she is awake now. She was severly injured, on death's door and you did nothing, you did not even attempt to contact her family. Your physicians did nothing; they were allowing her to die.”

Tony was momentarily speechless. There was a rustle of papers behind them. A gray haired doctor stood in the doorway gaping at Loki as Jane stooped to pick up files he had dropped. The doctor and Jane had come in during Loki’s diatribe. He looked at Loki in shock. “How could you know the extent of her injuries?”

Loki rolled his eyes and huffed, “Is no one listening? I healed her injuries! Approximately twenty-four hours ago, her vital signs became erratic and then evened out correct? And you have since overseen the scans yourself to confirm she is healed?” The doctor nodded as Jane handed him his files. “Shortly after her arrival, there was a discussion between yourself and a Doctor Hinkler about the good fortune that she was an organ donor. There is a high-profile politician in residence here in need of a heart, and Darcy is a perfect match is she not?” The doctor paled and dropped the files again.

Everyone stood silently for a moment. Tony walked over to the computer, placed a small silver disk on the side of the hard drive, and rounded on the doctor, his voice low and deadly, “Is that true?” The doctor fearfully shook his head.

Loki hissed, “He lies.”

Tony turned toward Loki, "How do you know?"

Loki smirked, "Magic."

"Seriously?"

"It is also how I healed her."

Tony shook his head, “JARVIS, is what the ex-con says true? Was she dying? Is there a politician here that was gonna get her heart?”

The AI spoke from one of the hospital’s loud speakers. “Yes sir, it seems before Miss Lewis’ recovery there were two operating rooms being prepped for a heart transplant, and Miss Lewis was listed as the donor.”

Jane slapped the doctor as Tony and Loki advanced on the now trembling man. Then Pepper returned with Agent Hill following close behind.

“What’s going on here?” Hill asked briskly.

“Hill, you better get this piece of shit out of here now before me and Will Turner kill him.” Several SHIELD agents stepped between the doctor and the infuriated men.

“Seriously Hill, if your guys don’t get him out of my sight right now I’ll mow them down too.” Tony growled.

“Agents Clancy and Yates, take the doctor out to Agent Sitwell and don’t let him leave.”  

The men removed the doctor from the room. Tony paced angrily and Loki slumped in the bed beside Darcy.

Hill turned to Tony, “Stark! What the hell in going on here? We get a hit from the radar that looks like Puente Antiguo, a report from a doctor of a random unconscious man appearing out of nowhere, you allowed Lewis to become injured, and when we show up you’re threatening one of the most influential doctors on the board of directors at this hospital! So I repeat WHAT THE HELL?”

“Tony’s pissed because Dr. Lecter out there wanted to carve me up for spare parts!” Darcy snarled.

Tony sat heavily on the end of Darcy’s bed and stared at everyone in the room. The billionaire felt older than ever before. He scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “Hill, a lot’s happened in the last week. I know Lewis was injured on my watch, thank you so much for reminding me. As if I don’t feel guilty enough, second reminder in less than an hour by the way. I don’t know about your hit on the radar because we’ve been a little busy here. Lewis finally woke up; her sleeping beauty routine was getting a little old. Her boyfriend here figured out the doctor's crazy plans, which JARVIS confirmed. And then you showed up.”

Tony stood up and stalked towards the agent. “Look, I followed SHIELD’s protocol concerning Lewis, but this is bullshit. I’m done. She’s conscious now, and I’m taking her back to STARK Tower and my personal doctors are going to monitor her recovery. Are we clear?” he growled. Tony stood nose to nose with the agent, and for the first time Hill appeared just a tiny bit unsure of herself.

She narrowed her eyes at Tony, squared her shoulders and Darcy wondered if she had imagined the momentary lapse in badassery. “Crystal,” she bit out.

“Good then I’m going to need you to sign some papers so I can get her released, and take her back home.” Tony and Agent Hill headed for the nurses station.

“But what about…” Jane began. Tony and Pepper made brief eye contact.

“Jane, I’ve been meaning to ask you a question about the requisition forms you gave me last week.” Pepper expertly maneuvered Jane right out of the room and down the hall away from the agents.

Darcy fought a yawn as she looked around, “Hey, alone at last.” She said softly. “Babe?” Loki snored softly in response. He was slumped over, head resting on her shoulder. “Crazy week right? But I think you might be right, a short nap sounds good.” She curled around his sleeping form, her hand curled possessively around him. He still had his Orlando Bloom face on but it would be a short nap, Tony would be in soon, then she could finally go home. She smiled, she was taking a half-naked Asgardian god home.


	13. Chapter 13

He awoke with a gasp. His eyes darted around the room. The late afternoon sun filled the room with a soft golden light and it was quiet. The Iron Man and Thor’s woman had left. He was finally alone with Darcy. She was curled around him. He adjusted himself a bit; using a small amount of magic to remove his boots and set them quietly on the floor. He gently pulled Darcy unto his lap and threaded his hands into her hair to run a simple diagnostic spell over her. She was improving at a surprising rate; he smiled and ended the spell. He cradled her form against him, adjusting the blanket to cover her sleeping form and laid the bed back to be somewhat more comfortable. She shifted, restless in her sleep, her arms wrapping possessively around him. Her brow furrowed and her breathing hitched as though her dreams were upsetting. He risked expending even a little more magic to soothe her into a deeper more restful, healing sleep. He ran a gentle hand across her brow as her breathing evened out and a small smile played in the corner of her full lips.

He took stock of their situation. His magic was slowly returning, it would be fully restored in a few days, provided he was able to rest comfortably, and stopped using what little had returned. SHIELD’s agents believed he was simply another human. Stark seemed to know that Darcy was lying but was for some odd reason covering for her. Stark’s underlying motives could end up being problematic, but for the moment, that was not his greatest concern. Darcy was not fully recovered, that could be another week or more depending on her fragile human state. He could heal her after his magic was fully restored, but that would deplete him once again and leave him vulnerable and unable to protect her.

Loki sighed, all those issues notwithstanding; the most significant problem was one that only he was aware of. Darcy had been so upset about his “death” that she had not heard The Other’s plan.

The door creaked, as Stark returned still wearing that irritating smirk. The smirk faltered a bit when he found Loki in Darcy’s bed once more. Loki gave the other man a wicked smirk in return. He sat in Darcy’s bed, still shirtless with the girl clinging to him. Loki opened his mouth to speak but Stark held up one hand to stop him.

“JARVIS, is this room secure?” Stark asked

“Yes sir, there are no listening devices of any kind, other than myself, in this room or on this floor of the hospital.”

“Alert me if anyone approaches this room.”

“Yes sir.”

“Alright, I understand why Darcy lied earlier. She’s trying to protect you. What I don’t understand is what your angle in all of this is. Were you just using her to get free? Did you just manipulate her, or have you done something to her mind? I know you don’t have the glow-stick of destiny anymore but somehow I think being the god of lies and all, that’s probably not really necessary.”

Loki cocked his head to the side as he examined Stark. The man was sharper than he seemed. “How long have you known my identity?” Loki allowed the glamour to fade; there was no need to waste the magic.

“Quid pro quo, I’ll answer your questions, you answer mine. I’ve had my suspicions since she used the seam ripper to set your mouth loose. After I met your brother, the god of thunder, I read up on Norse Mythology, not the first time you’ve received that particular punishment. My suspicions were confirmed when she called you by name in her sleep. Of course, her reaction was so bad, I thought she was gonna be done with you. Did you know she almost overdosed on painkillers because of you? She spent the next three days trying to avoid sleep; she even stole prescription meds from me hoping to avoid you in her dreams.” Tony shook his head. “So my question is… what the hell did you do to her, to make her go from wanting to avoid you like the plague, to this?” He gestured to her clinging form. He arched an eyebrow. “Truth for Truth.”

Loki’s arms tightened slightly around Darcy’s sleeping form. “I dislike your implications Mr. Stark.” He growled. “I have done nothing to Darcy. I have not manipulated her in any way. Up until the night she called me by name, she did not know my identity. While she had loosed my mouth, my tongue was still bound and I was incapable of revealing my identity. When my magic began to return, I believed she would reject me so I attempted to make her despise me. I do not know what caused her to care for me but I am a selfish man and whether I deserve her affections or not I shall take them. Now quid pro quo, you say? Knowing my true identity, why would you mislead the SHIELD agent?” He arched an eyebrow and scowled. “And just how did you know she called my name _in her sleep?_ ”

Tony was about to speak when JARVIS interrupted him. “Sir, Miss Potts, and Dr. Foster are coming down the hall to this room.”

“Thanks, JARVIS.” He turned to Loki. “Better do your magic thing and hide your face. Oh, hey what do I call you?”

Loki’s face shifted as he answered. “Tell them my name is unpronounceable for humans, that I told you to just call me Tom. Why are you hiding my identity from Miss Potts and Dr. Foster?”

“I have my reasons.” Tony smirked.

Loki narrowed his eyes but nodded anyway, “I ask only one thing from you; please continue to keep my identity secret until such time when we can mutually agree the others have need to know.”

Stark nodded as Jane came in first looking like she was ready to burst. “Why the hell did you send Agent Hill away? Shouldn’t she be taking this guy to lock-up? He’s obviously manipulating Darcy somehow and we need to keep her safe.”

“Ms. Foster poses an interesting question. Why did you mislead the SHIELD agent? Oh, and Mr. Stark? I will know if you are lying, so if you please, the truth?” Loki grinned.

Tony cut his eyes at the god of lies but spoke to Jane. “My number one objective in all of this has been Darcy’s well-being. She believes this guy to be reformed. She has also spent far more time with him than I have, so I’m inclined to trust her judgment. As far as SHIELD goes… What do they do with anything they don’t recognize or understand? They take it away and take it apart in a lab. I didn’t think Darcy’d appreciate them doing that to her ex-con boyfriend.” Tony glanced sideways at Loki as he continued to speak to Jane. “Besides if, I let her take him home then I can keep a close eye on him myself. Maybe even be there in case he tries to talk her into doing something stupid or reckless.”

Jane looked worried and angry. “You know Tony, for being a certified genius, you can be pretty stupid.” Pepper laughed. “You’re the high and mighty Iron Man, but that doesn’t mean you can do everything, protect everyone. You may have just bit off more than you can chew this time. I hope I’m wrong about this.”

A nurse knocked on the door and poked her head in. “Mr. Stark? We’ve almost finished with the transfer papers. We need a few signatures from yourself and Dr. Finklestein, and then we can finalize the transfer arrangements.”

“I’ll be right back.” Tony ducked out to take care of the paper work.

Pepper wrapped her arm around the smaller woman’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, Tony doesn’t always make the best decisions, he can be reckless and arrogant, he almost always takes on more than he can handle, and…” She scrunched up face, “Where was I going with that?”

Loki chuckled, “I believe you were trying unsuccessfully to reassure Ms. Foster of the quality of Mr. Stark’s decision making skills.”  

“We are so screwed.” Jane moaned.

Loki laughed, “I assure you, my deepest concern is Darcy’s welfare. If at any point I become a detriment to her, I will voluntarily remove myself from her life.”

“No way buddy!” Darcy’s arms wound around him tighter. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Loki’s attention centered exclusively on the girl occupying his lap. “Min elskede, you’re awake. You’re still healing you should be resting. Did I wake you?”

“It’s alright. Hey magic man…” She smiled at him. “I’m glad you’re here I had this awful nightmare that I just imagined you being here.”

“I promise I am going nowhere.”

“Hey is your magic up and running yet? Cause I think I’d like to bypass all the drama that going home is gonna entail.”

“No, I’m afraid it will be at least several days before I am at full strength again.”

“It’s all good. Then has Tony got it worked out so we can go home yet? I’d really like to show you my place,” her voice dropped to a whisper. “… specifically my bed.”

His eyes darkened and he dipped his head to whisper in her ear. “You and I both have a great deal of recuperating to do before that becomes a reality. But you have no idea how much that idea appeals to me.”

She wiggled slightly in his lap. “Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea.” She threaded one hand into his hair and kissed him, uncaring of the others in the room. Her other hand roamed across his bare chest, she could still feel the defined ridges of his scarification even though they were invisible in his current form. She lightly ran a fingernail across one, Loki deepened the kiss, his arms tightened around her, and she let out a tiny involuntary moan.

“Okay, so I can see we’re gonna have to set down some ground rules for the Tower. No PDA in the common areas.” The couple ignored him. “Oh come on Lewis we don’t wanna watch you two swap spit.” Tony’s voice cut through whatever mood they were working on.

Darcy turned and glared at him, “Killjoy,” she grumbled.

“Alright then, everything’s been arranged. You’ve officially been released. We can all head back to the Tower and Dr. Finklestein will monitor your recovery there.”

“Hey, what happened to Dr. Lecter?” Darcy asked.

Tony grinned, “According to Agent Hill, both Dr. Jones and Dr. Hinkler are to be stripped of their medical licenses and won’t be heard much from again. I think they both got sent to ‘help’ in an impoverished village hospital in the hills of West Virginia. They’ll be empting bed pans till they retire.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Several hours later, they were finally settled in Darcy’s apartment. They lay side by side in Darcy’s bed. Tony had offered ‘Tom’ his own apartment, but Darcy insisted on sharing. Tony had also tried to insist on getting ‘Tom’ his own separate bed. For which Darcy kicked Tony out of her apartment. Dr. Finklestein had given her a thorough check and declared all she really needed was three or four days of bed rest, no strenuous activities for at least two weeks, and that, he wanted to see her again before he released her from those restrictions.  

She was exhausted, it was late, but she finally had Loki beside her in her bed. She rolled to her side and grinned at him. Her hand reached for him.

He caught her hand in both of his and spoke softly, “Darcy, I know what you’re thinking but I think the doctor is correct in his assessment. It would not be wise to follow through with those thoughts yet.”

Darcy pulled her hand back, gave him a hurt look, flopped back onto her back, and threw her arm over her eyes. “Fine whatever.” She grumbled.

After the doctor had left, Loki had helped her change in to a loose shirt and a pair of comfy shorts. As she raised her arm, her shirt rode up exposing most of her soft pale stomach. He rolled to his side watching her. His hand seemed to move of its own accord lightly brushing across her skin. He watched as goose bumps followed in the wake of his hand. Her breathing hitched. He leaned close to her and whispered in her ear, his hot breath fanning the tiny curls at her temple. “By Valhalla woman, you are temptation embodied.”

She gasped softly, the arm covering her eyes dropping softly to the bed, though her eyes remained closed. “Lo…”

He kissed her, smothering his name. His mouth moved over hers in a sensuous dance, heating her to the core. Suddenly her thoughts felt muddled, thick.

“ _Do not say my name aloud_.” She gasped and her eyes flew open. He was staring at her as he continued to kiss her.

“ _Holy Crap!_ ” He grinned at her.“ _Are we talking telepathically?_ ”

He winked mischievously at her but continued to kiss her.

“ _That is so freaking awesome! Okay so why the subterfuge? And why can’t I say your name, we’re alone in here._ ”

“ _We are not as alone as you think, I strongly suspect Stark has your apartment under surveillance._ ” She gasped again.

“ _That son of a bitch! Let me up I’m gonna tase his ass!_ ”

She arched against him trying to throw him off. He rolled slightly to hold her down bodily. “ _He also knows who I am._ ” She stopped fighting but grabbed his shoulders pulling him close. He gently lay half/on half/off of her. His hands played on the long waves of her dark hair. “ _I am unsure what his motivation is, but for the time being he is content to keep our secret, even from his lover and Dr. Foster._ ”

Darcy sighed. “ _Fine, I’ll let the jerk live. So what do we do now?_ ”

“ _Now, we rest and recuperate. After we are both fully healed then we shall see…_ ” He sighed and her thoughts were once again her’s alone.

“It is late, we should both rest. There is much more to discuss but it should wait till morning.” He stood and walked over to the light switch. Darcy watched him hungrily as he moved. The pajama pants Tony had loaned him hung loose and low on his narrow hips, exposing the v of his hipbones and a light treasure trail.  

“Dammmnnn,” she whined soft and low.

Loki turned and noticed her appreciative gaze.  “Darcy…” he admonished.

“Hey, just because I can’t do anything about it, doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the view.” She smirked.

He flipped off the lights, crawled into the bed, and pulled her close; wrapping his long frame around her. “Sleep, min elskede, sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay in posting, crazy holidays and all that. I may get one more chapter in before the end of the year. After the new year I will post every Monday till I'm done. What I originally thought to be maybe a 10 or 12 chapter fic is turning into something far more. Maybe 20 + by the time I'm done.
> 
> I had a wonderful reviewer on ffn recommend a song to go with this it's called Salvation by Skillet. I really enjoyed it! I recommend listening to it with the lyrics but I agree it really fits this story.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay, I know no one wants to hear my excuses, but RL got crazy, and I really do apologize.
> 
> That much being said, I finally got up the courage to end the UST between these two. It's my first time writing anything like this so comments and constructive critiques would be appreciated.

The following few days sucked…

Tony was in and out of her apartment constantly checking up on them, Jane was still moody because of their argument, and Loki hardly let her get out of bed. And it wasn’t as enjoyable as it sounded. The most he did was cuddle with her. They did have a few more of the telepathic conversations, mostly about his magic and what their plans were once she was well.  

She had returned to her apartment on Sunday evening and by Wednesday afternoon, she was growing restless. She couldn’t go back to the lab yet cause both Tony and Jane insisted that she stay in bed until at least the following Monday. She never thought she would miss working, but she did. They had an intern inputting the data for her. Darcy cringed internally, it was her program, and she was really hoping the intern didn’t screw anything up. Even with the explosion in the lab, Jane was still on track to be finished and running her final tests in less than two weeks.

So since she couldn’t do anything else she sat on her couch with her laptop and a half-empty latte that Tony had brought her earlier. She closed the laptop and smiled. She wore the same green and black workout top as before and a very short pair of black shorts. Loki had groaned when he saw her clothing choice and had swept her off her feet. She had gasped in delight but her fantasies had been dashed when he carefully deposited her on the couch and covered her up with a blanket.

Loki sat on the other end of the couch dozing in the warm afternoon sunlight. He had slept a lot as his health and appetite had returned. His magic was fully restored and he had fixed the glamour so that it worked for everyone else but she could see the real him. Or at least, so that she could see his Asgardian appearance. They’d had a bit of an argument over that one. She liked him blue but he hated it. She let it go, she knew he was still kinda insecure and she wanted him to feel comfortable.

Which obviously he did. He was finally relaxed. He looked so young when he slept. Gone were all the harsh lines and the sadness and the bitterness that sometimes seemed to overwhelm his features. She watched his chest rise and fall slowly, his long neck stretched out. He was wearing a tight black t-shirt and she could see every muscle defined. He wasn’t burly like Thor but he was still cut. Damn was he cut, he filled out a t-shirt and jeans in a way that made her mouth water. And if she tilted her head just right, she could almost see the ridges of his scarification though his tight t-shirt.

She hadn’t told him but even with his magic returned, she could still feel every ridge of his scarification. Those ridges were hers. She was pretty sure no one else could feel them but her. She loved those damn ridges. A well-placed lick or scratch along one of those ridges would make him come unglued. Though he had been careful not to allow her to touch him too much, he was adamant about her being fully recovered before they would do anything more than kiss.

She set her latte and her laptop on the coffee table and nudged him with her toes. He grumbled a bit in his sleep but didn’t wake. She grinned. She got up quietly, walked to her room, and shut the door carefully.

“Hey JARVIS,” she called softly.

“Yes Miss Lewis?” the AI responded.

“Hey, I know Tony put some cameras and probably some mics in here. I want to spend some ‘personal’ time with my man but I’d rather not do anything that Tony can see. Can you help me out; I don’t know blur the image or put some static in the sound or something? Please JARVIS?”

There was almost an amused tone in the automated voice. “I will make the necessary adjustments. Is there anything else Miss Lewis?”

“Umm, can you make sure nobody can get in here or bother us for a while?” She asked quietly.

“I will see to it that you remain uninterrupted.”

“Thanks J, you’re the best.” She smiled.

She walked back out to the living room, stood in front of him, and pinched the inside of his thigh. His eyes flew open and he pulled her to him. She straddled his lap and smiled wickedly. “Hi.” She trailed her hands all over his chest, rose up on her knees, and tried to kiss him.

“Darcy…” he started.

“No, come on please don’t push me away again. I feel fine, really! Use your magic and check. I’m not a freaking china doll! I’m better and I’m tired of waiting!”

He rolled his eyes and huffed, but he threaded his hands into her hair anyway. His eyes went slightly out of focus and she could feel the tingle of his magic as he ran the diagnostic spell. His magic dissipated, his eyes cleared, an odd flicker passed over his face, and then he smirked. “Yes, you are better.”

He stood suddenly, one arm around her waist, the other under her butt, and carried her as though she weighed nothing. She gasped in shock and wrapped her legs around his narrow waist. He walked quickly to her bedroom and stopped just before the bed.

Her thoughts grew thick. “ _The surveillance equipment?”_ he asked.

_“Already taken care of.”_ She smiled.

“ _How?”_

She smirked, “ _I have my ways. Hey, I gotta take off my glasses but I want to be able to see you. Can you fix my eyes just for tonight?”_

He gently removed her glasses and placed them on her bedside table. He laid his fingertip on her temple, she felt a tingle, and her vision was perfect. _“Better?”_

She gave him a bright smile and nodded.

Satisfied with her answer, he pulled away from her mind, and laid her on the bed, following to cover her with his body. He braced himself on his elbows, hovering above her as he stared at her. “I am not a good man, nor am I patient, or kind, or inclined to share that which is mine. I do not approach this lightly. Can you accept me as I am?”

There was heaviness in his question. Words stuck in her throat and she nodded.

“No, love, I need to hear you say the words.” He had an almost pained expression.

She swallowed reflexively, “Yes of course I accept you, I have since I first met you and I always will.”

His green eyes darkened. “I hope you will not regret that decision.” He descended on her, his mouth devouring hers. One of her hands fisted in his hair as she groaned at his hunger, her other hand slid down to pull the shirt from his jeans. His hand swept down her side, sliding under her top and pulling it up. His slightly cold hand brushed across her stomach and she giggled. Her legs slid open and his hips rested against hers. She gasped softly as he shifted and she could fell him pressed against her. Her body arched and her legs wrapped around his hips. She could feel his smirk in his kiss. Arrogant bastard. Her hand slid up under his shirt, and she softly ran a fingernail along one of his ridges.

He made a slightly strangled noise and pulled back to stare at her. “What was that?”

She grinned and did it again, “You mean that?” she asked with an arched eyebrow.

“Yes, that. My magic is fully returned, the scars should no longer be there, visible or not. It’s as though the marks are still there.” His voice was soft and he moved to get up.

She tightened her grip with her legs and arms. He was far stronger than she was, but he allowed her to hold him there. “They kinda are, I can’t see them, your magic is working just fine, but somehow I know they’re still there and I can feel them.” 

“That shouldn’t be possible, unless…” his voice trailed off, and his eyes seemed to focus on something far away. After a very brief moment, he shook his head and focused again on Darcy. “It matters not. I hide the monster away so that I may better control myself.”

“You’re not a monster dammit! You’ve gone through monstrous trials, you’ve done monstrous things, but YOU are not a monster. You are the man I want, the man I love.” Her voice dropped to a hoarse whisper, “And, I seem to recall you saying that if I continued doing that,” her finger danced across the ridge that ran the length of his spine, “… you might lose control.” She pushed herself up to whisper in his ear. “And like I told you before, I want you to lose control.” Her hand made a broad arc sweeping over several ridges at once.

His back arched like a cat, his eyes flashed red, and his skin took on a slight bluish cast. “Darcy,” he growled, “My Jotun nature is very primal and it is best that you do not provoke me, you’ve no idea how dangerous that could be.” His eyes shut tight and he went very still. The blue faded from his skin and when he opened his eyes again, they were green.  

“Loki, baby I want you. Blue or white, Asgardian or Jotun, safe or dangerous, it doesn’t matter. I love you and I want you. I don’t want you to feel like you have to hold back, I trust you completely.” She ran her fingernails across a swirling pattern of scars on his ribcage.

He sat back on his heels and yanked off his shirt, the bluish cast had returned and Darcy’s breath caught in her throat at the look in his blood red eyes. His hand ghosted across her body and her clothes disappeared. Her nipples pebbled from the sudden exposure to the cool air. He continued to sit back and stare at her naked form; he seemed to recover a measure of control as he looked at her. His normally vibrant green eyes were distant and unfocused, and she grew unsure under his gaze. Just as she moved to cover herself, he moved. His hands darted out and caught hers. “Do not hide yourself from me.” With one hand, he held both of hers together above her head and leaned down to lave her taut nipple with a cold and pointed tongue. His other hand toyed with her other breast, caressing and massaging. He sucked hard on one nipple while pinching the other and Darcy let out a shuddering gasp. He looked up at her. His eyes were darker than she’d ever seen them; his pupils blown so wide the green of his eyes was almost non-existent.

“Control is a fickle thing, the moment you think you have it, is usually the moment you’ve lost it.” His voice sent chills down her back, he smirked, and she felt something silky wrap around her wrists. She tugged lightly at the scarf, if she tugged hard enough she could easily slip free. She smiled at him and left her hands above her head in a silent show of trust.

He rose up and took her mouth hard, their teeth clacking together as they struggled for a good rhythm. Her lust-fogged mind registered his nakedness; he must have magicked away his jeans at some point. He pressed his body against her, his arousal lying heavy on her stomach. She groaned and rutted lightly on his leg that lay between hers. His body temperature seemed somewhat lower than hers, probably had something to do with Frost Giant physiology. It was incredibly erotic, the contrast between the heat of her skin and the coolness of his.

His hand rested under her neck gripping it lightly, turning her head this way and that to give his mouth access her neck and jawline. His other hand slowly wound its way down her body, he caressed her breasts, her stomach, and her thighs, everywhere, but where she needed him.

“Loki, please…” she moaned as his hand trailed closer to her center. “…please, oh god, please…”

“Who am I to deny such a beautifully moaned prayer…?” he murmured. His wandering hand finally found her mound and he slowly dragged a single finger through her folds. He slowly circled her clit, trailed down to her center, stopping just short of touching her where she ached, and back up to circle her clit again. “So wet…,” he purred.

She arched against him, and groaned. He moved so slowly, he was teasing her and loving every moment. “Loki…” she panted. “…please… Loki.” His name came out as a rush of breath.

“Yes love?” His voice was heavy and dark with promise. Finally, one long finger entered her and her breath stuttered. “So anxious and so ready. Something this sweet…” he brought his hand to his mouth and sucked his finger clean with a quiet groan. “… should be savored, don’t you think?” His hand returned to her center and this time two of his long fingers entered her. He began unhurriedly dragging his fingers in and out. He trailed open mouth kisses along her neck and collarbone. She writhed and gasped beneath him, as he slowly fucked her with his fingers. His fingers flexed and twisted hitting all the right places. What he was doing was glorious but he held her on a razor’s edge. She was so close but he seemed intent on holding her there. Sweat pooled in the hollow of her throat, as she made soft panting noises. She rocked against him trying to get the friction she needed.

“Oh goddammit Loki, come on!” she hissed, she was painfully close but he continued that maddeningly slow pace.

He gave her a wicked grin and curled his fingers just so… Her body bowed and her eyes clamped shut. His name became one long moan as she came apart. He gave her no chance to recover, but moved, entered her in one smooth stroke, and began to pump into her. His voice was a little ragged as he moaned, “So tight…” and his pace sped up.

Her eyes flew open and she pushed him back a bit with her bound hands. She could see the blue fading from his skin; he must have lost a measure of his control. “Wait, wait! Holy shit! You’re freaking huge. Just wait a minute, wait a minute.” He went still immediately. His face was a tight mask as his body trembled slightly from holding back. “Loki…”

He began to pull away but she locked her legs around him, an echo of her efforts earlier. His voice was strained, “We should stop…”

“No, no! Please, I just need a minute to adjust. It’s been a while and you’re a lot bigger than anyone I’ve ever been with. Just give me a minute.” She sipped her hands free of the scarf, threaded her hands into his hair, and pulled him down to kiss him deeply.

His hand slid between her body and the bed, down to her ass, gripping her tightly. She could feel the quaking in his limbs, how he wanted to just plow into her. She began to rock slowly, getting accustomed to his length and girth. Hell, he wasn’t kidding about being a god. No human could be built like that. She was pretty sure he wasn’t even all the way in.

He began to thrust shallowly. She threw back her head and gasped. He could feel her inner muscle begin to mold around him. Her hands shook as she carefully trailed her fingers down his back, avoiding all the ridges.

He continued to move slowly and shallowly, working for her comfort, her enjoyment. Her head still thrown back, he could almost see her pulse in her throat. He could feel his primal nature rising up again, the urge to bite her, to mark her as his own was nearly overwhelming. “Darcy, look at me,” he demanded through gritted teeth. His hips stopped their slow progress.

Her eyes slowly slid open with a whine. “Loki…” He was still, as he stared down at her with an almost pained look. His skin had taken on the bluish cast again. His hair was loose and framed their faces. There was a wild look about him, but somehow with that wildness had also come the vulnerability that had drawn her to him in the first place. Her hands rested lightly on the back on his neck as she looked up at him questioningly. “I meant what I said earlier. I accept you, all of you. Come on baby, rock my world.” She said cheekily as she thrust her hips against his.

Something seemed to break in his eyes and his hand on her hip tightened. He leaned very close to her, his lips by her ear and growled, “From this moment on you will be mine and mine alone do you understand?” He pulled back only far enough to look her in the eyes. He was full on Jotun. She gasped slightly. He threaded his other hand into her hair and pulled lightly, exposing even more of her neck to him. “Do you understand?”

Her voice was barely more than a breath, “…yes…” He lay on her; one hand buried in her hair the other tightly holding her hip. She was wrapped around him; their only movement came from the slow rocking of their hips. He dipped his head to her throat, to her pulse point. He placed cool open mouth kisses there, his desire to mark her growing.

She could feel the bubble of desire building and she needed more. She tilted her hips and he bottomed out, fully sheathed inside her for the first time. Her cervix cramped slightly as he filled her completely. She let out a low moan as he growled and thrust hard. “Ohmygod!”

He grinned wickedly against her neck and did it again. She cursed and scratched roughly across the ridges on his back. He bit her in retaliation. She arched hard against him and soon they were moving together at an almost brutal pace. His mouth locked on the tender flesh of her neck and in their passion, his teeth broke through her skin. He groaned as blood began to trickle in to his mouth. He slipped a hand in the narrow space between them and his clever fingers found her clit, working in time with their thrusts.

The hand holding her hair coiled around her throat, the pressure cutting off her breathing slightly. He rose up, a question in his red eyes. “I trust you.” She whispered and he squeezed tighter. Everything took on a sharper edge, the heat in her building to a crescendo. Finally, her whole body seemed to clench around him; her head thrown back, her mouth open in a silent scream. He released his grip on her throat and the surge of oxygen only made her crest that much higher. His thrusts grew erratic as he came with a wild roar.

He rolled off of her and pulled her half lying across his body. Her head on his chest she could hear the mad beating of his heart. Their breathing in sync even as their bodies relaxed. The blue faded from his skin as they calmed. The smell of sweat, musk, and the coppery tang of blood filled the room. She reached up to brush hair off her sweaty neck and hissed quietly as her fingers grazed the bite mark. She began to giggle as she looked at her bloody fingertip. He arched an eyebrow at her. She began to laugh all that much harder.

“What is so funny?”

Several minutes of nearly hysterical laughter followed. When she finally could breathe enough to speak, she whispered, “You gave me frostbite.” And she doubled over in laughter again.

He grinned and chuckled a bit as well. When she’d finally calmed she curled up against him with a sigh. “You know…” she began, “…that whole you are mine thing is kinda hot, but I was thinking, if I belong to you, then you belong to me, right?”    

He looked at her in wonder. “Is that what you want?”

She crawled up over him and straddled his hips. “Can I bite and mark you too?” She watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. He nodded. She leaned down and nibbled on his neck. His hands gripped her hips tightly as she bit down. She couldn’t bring herself to break the skin but she sucked firmly, knowing it would leave a mark. She sat back up and her finger gently traced the spot that would be a glowing reminder on his pale skin. “There, now you’re mine too.” She smiled in satisfaction and lay back beside him with a yawn. “That was, by far, the best sex I’ve ever had.”

He rolled slightly to look her in the eyes, “Oh dear sweet Darcy, we are nowhere near finished.” His voice was a wicked whispered purr.  

It was hours before either of them slept.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Her arm reached out to find him in the dark. His side of the bed was cold. She looked around the room with bleary eyes. The spell on her vision must have worn off when they fell asleep. “Loki?” He was standing beside the bed. She rolled over onto her back to get a little more comfortable, and groaned.

“Are you unwell?” His voice sounded odd.

“I’m fine, just sore in all the right places.” She stretched languidly, the sheet sliding down her body, coming to rest low on her hips.

“You’re bruised, should I heal you?”

“Nah, those aren’t bruises, they’re my badges of honor… Proves I tangled with a god and still got mine. I know you got some awesome marks too.” She rolled away from him and fumbled with the things on her bedside table. “Damn, where are my glasses?” She finally felt the familiar edge of her glasses. She rolled back towards him as she placed them on. His was in full armor, horned helmet and everything. “Loki?” her voice shook.

His eyes hardened. “I regret this.” Magic slithered from his palm, touching her temple rendering her unconscious. “JARVIS, you may unlock the doors now.” The sheet slid up to cover her body and he disappeared from the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know sucky author, long delay in posting and an evil cliffie... 
> 
> Sorry, I am so so sorry. But I blame Loki. I really hadn't originally planned that little twist.
> 
> But hey, longest chapter so far...
> 
> Oh yeah and I gotta give credit where credit is due. Dr. Finklestein belongs to LuvaGoodMrE from Fanfiction.net. Her story Funny That Way was my intro to Tasertricks. I borrowed him to give tribute to an awesome author.
> 
> And the Frostbite joke belongs to runninggreen from tumblr who said I could use it here.
> 
> And yes, the "You will be mine and mine alone. Do you understand?" was a direct quote from Mr. Hiddleston himself. He read The Red Necklace aloud and HOLY FRICK ON A STICK is it HOT!!!! This is a must listen kinda thing...   
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx_gYSCRPpw&list=PLPzH60x6DueRrI_9UNlDK_II-rpwlwnlv What are you waiting for? GO!!


	15. Chapter 15

“I just think that if she’s locked you out then it’s a bad idea to bust in on her. They could be… umm… preoccupied…” Steve blushed.

Tony shook his head and frowned, damn the Cap’s 40’s era sensibilities. “She damn well shouldn’t be ‘preoccupied’; the doc said no strenuous activities for at least another week.” Tony huffed.

“Look I don’t care how good a programmer she is, she shouldn’t have been able to lock _me_ out. I created JARVIS. It’s been over twelve hours since anyone’s seen or heard from either of them. What if the ex-con turned on her and she’s in there bleeding out?” He shoved a hand roughly through his hair. “Look, you should be able to hit the door hard enough to take it off the hinges without doing too much damage to the building. Pepper will be pissed if I use the suit inside the building again…”

“Sir if I may?” the AI politely interrupted. 

“What?” He asked tersely.

“The door is unlocked now.”

The demeanor of both men changed instantly. They went from bickering friends to teammates on a mission. They were both still in pajamas, but anyone could see they still had an air of authority to them. Cap held his shield in front of them and they both entered cautiously. The apartment was still dark but they left the lights off for stealth’s sake. Steve headed towards the front of the apartment and Tony headed towards the bedroom. He opened the bedroom door and flipped on the light abruptly hoping to catch them off guard.

“That son of a bitch…” He was instantly by Darcy’s side. “Please don’t be dead, please don’t be dead.” He carefully checked for a pulse. “Come kiddo wake up…” He gently shook her a few times trying to wake her. “JARVIS call Dr. Finklestein, wake Happy, and tell him to get the doctor here as fast as possible. Then wake Jane and tell her to get down here now.”

“Yes sir.”

There was a sheet covering most of her body, she was unconscious, she had a ring of bruises around her throat, and a bloodied bite mark where her neck met her shoulder. “Oh baby girl, what have you gotten yourself into?” Tony whispered as he softly brushed the hair from her face and settled her crooked glasses.

“The rest of the apartment’s empty…” Steve looked down at Darcy for the first time. “Shit,” Steve dropped his shield and stumbled into Darcy’s bathroom. Tony heard him retching. When Steve returned his face was ashen and he looked angrier than Tony had ever seen.

“We need a list of known associates and where he used to live and…”

“Hold on there, Cap, this isn’t a cop show where we can just go find this guy in some local bar. He’s not a normal ex-con. He’s an alien.” Tony had kept his word. No one but he and Darcy knew Loki’s true identity. And now with Reindeer Games gone rogue and Darcy unconscious Tony was at a loss. The whole damn world would be pissed that he had been harboring that particular fugitive.

“Fine, then build me a damn spaceship. Let’s go get this monster.” Steve’s fists were balled at his side.

Tony quirked an eyebrow. There was more to his anger than Steve had let on.

A gasp came from the doorway. Tony moved to the side to let Jane get to Darcy’s bedside. “She’s unconscious; she has some bruising but nothing that looks life threating.” Suddenly Tony’s world reeled to the right. “You slapped me!” he exclaimed.

“Damn it, Tony I told you this was a bad idea! You should have let Agent Hill take him!” Jane hissed as she shook her hand.

Tony rubbed his sore cheek. “Damn, you pack a mean wallop. I thought it was under control, he was weak as a kitten, and so freaking lovey-dovey with Darcy… he just didn’t seem like any kind of threat. ”

“Jane?” Darcy moaned and she tried to sit up. Jane was by her side right away and twittering over her like a mother hen. Darcy groaned. “Damn I feel like I was hit by a mac truck. I must’ve gotten like black-out drunk last night.” She grimaced at the guys in her room, and whispered to Jane. “Hey Janey-bird, why are those guys in my room? Isn’t that Mr. Stark? And who’s the beefcake?” Steve and Tony stood in the doorway debating their next course of action.

Jane went very still. “That’s Steve.” At Darcy’s confused look she added, “Steve Rogers.”

“As in Captain America, that Steve Rogers?” Jane nodded. “Holy crap! He’s a hottie, you should totally introduce us. But seriously why are they in my room?” Darcy asked genuine confusion written all over her face. She struggled to sit up, trying to keep the sheet around her body.

Jane was paler than normal. “Umm, Darcy, what day is today?”

“Umm, Thursday I think why?” With her arms outside the sheet, she could see some of the bruising. Fear began to creep into her voice. “Was I in a cage match or something?”

Jane shook her head, “Focus Darce, I mean what is today date?”

“August eighth? Jane you’re freaking me out. What the hell is going on?” She finally got into a relatively comfortable sitting position, and she felt the wicked soreness between her legs. “Oh god…” she moaned, her hand coming to rest below her navel.

Jane got up and grabbed Darcy’s fuzzy green bathrobe from the hook on the back of her closet door. She had a terrible worried look in her eyes as she helped Darcy slide it on.

“Tony,” Jane voice wavered. Tony was by Darcy’s bed in an instant. “Tony, she thinks today is August eighth.”

Tony grimaced. He turned to Darcy with a sad look in his eyes, gently brushed some hair out of Darcy’s face, and noticed an odd shimmery spot on her temple. “Hey kiddo, how you feeling?” He asked softly.

She cringed away from him, trying to adjust the bathrobe to cover her more completely. The familiarity of his actions was confusing. “More than just a little freaked ou…”

Suddenly a loud set of sirens went off, the lights dimmed, and JARVIS spoke over the loudspeaker, “Sir the vault has been compromised.”

Tony reached over and quickly dug through Darcy’s bedside table, grabbed her taser, and before she had a chance to protest, handed it to Jane. “The doctor should be here any minute. Jane, if _he_ comes back, don’t even let him speak, just tase him immediately. Tell Happy to stay here with you guys until I come back.” Jane nodded.

He turned to Steve. “Let’s go kick some alien ass.” Steve nodded and picked up his shield. “What he did to Darcy must have been a diversion so he could get into the vault.” Tony nodded to Jane as they headed out. “JARVIS contact Barton and see if he wants in on this.” Darcy could hear Stark barking more orders as he left.

Jane sat pale and trembling beside her, holding the taser out in front of her.

“What day is it Jane?”

Jane shook her head, “I think we should wait for Dr. Finklestein. You’ve had a lot happen in a very short period of time and I think…”

“Come on, just tell me Jane.” Darcy pleaded.

Jane swallowed hard. “It’s November 14th.”

Darcy felt like the world had dropped out from beneath her. She put two and two together, the pain, the fact that she woke up naked, the guys in her room, her apparent memory loss. Tears welled in her eyes as she turned to Jane, “What have I done? Some guy got into the tower because of me didn’t he? Did he… I mean was I… was I…?” Darcy couldn’t finish the question.

Jane wrapped one arm around Darcy’s trembling shoulders and pulled the younger woman close. Her voice was thick, “I don’t know hon, I really don’t know. I personally didn’t like him, but he seemed like a good guy, like he really cared for you, but after this I just don’t know. It all began a couple months ago, when you started having these crazy dreams...”   

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tony and Steve arrived at the vault to find it still locked. Tony shrugged and went through the five-step process to open the vault. When the large round door finally swung open, they came face to face with ‘Tom’, who was still in jeans and a t-shirt. He was sitting casually with his chair tipped back, with his feet up on the table crossed at the ankles. He grinned wickedly as the two Avengers entered the vault, as though this were some prearranged meeting, rather than breaking and entering. “About time you two arrived. Your security is seriously lacking, Stark.” He tossed something up and caught it again.

“You hurt Darcy,” Steve snarled, not a question, not an accusation, a statement of fact.

“I did nothing of the sort.” ‘Tom’ rolled his eyes and continued tossing and catching the object in his right hand.

“She has bruises around her throat and a bite mark that say otherwise.” Steve growled.

“Haven’t you ever… well I suppose _you_ haven’t.” He turned to Tony. “Stark, haven’t you ever become so overeager in your passions that you’ve left marks behind?” ‘Tom’ almost purred.

Tony saw a glint of yellow in the egg-sized object ‘Tom’ was tossing up and catching. “We’re not talking about a damn hickey! She has a hand print around her throat and a bloody bite mark on her neck, only a monster would do something like that to someone he claimed to love.” Tony slammed his hands down on the table.

“So I am a monster?” His eyes narrowed and his magic rippled over him as he stood fluidly, gracefully, all illusions melting away revealing his true Asgardian form. “Perhaps I should look the part then.” His imposing presence seemed to fill the room.

“Loki.” Steve growled.

“In the flesh. I cannot tell you how disappointing it is to have been in your company for almost a week, unrecognized. Truly, I expected more from you Stark. Though to have played the player, as Darcy would put it, was quite gratifying.” Loki’s grin was mocking.

“Leave Darcy out of this! After what you did to her you have no right to…” Steve shouted

“I have every right, I have the only right. She is mine and mine alone!” Loki’s demeanor changed, he went from uncaring to aggressive in the blink of an eye. 

“Why Darcy?” Tony was reeling, reaching for anything to distract the god as he struggled to process and decipher Loki motivations.

Loki shrugged as his aggression seemingly faded, “I have my reasons.”

What kind of game was Loki playing? He was covering Tony’s knowledge of his true identity. “So what was your game then? Gain our trust so that you could hit us from the inside? Surely you know even with your full powers you’re no match for us.”

“If you plan on threatening me you should have put on your armor.” Loki quipped.

Tony’s mind continued to twist trying to figure out Loki’s angle. “Would have taken too long to put on and we wanted to catch you before you ran.”

Loki cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. “Why would I run, when it will be so much more enjoyable just going straight through you?”

“Thanks for the offer but I don’t swing like that.” Tony smirked.

Loki looked genuinely confused by Tony’s statement. “What?”

“Hey!” Steve shouted. Tony and Loki both looked at him. “Witty banter aside, are we going to kick his butt now?”

Loki spread his hands wide, “You’re certainly welcome to try.” He dropped into a fighting stance as he pulled two daggers from his vambraces.

Tony took a deep breath and suddenly everyone was in motion. Steve threw his shield at Loki who smoothly ducked as he threw one of his daggers at Tony. The shield ricocheted off of the vault wall and came back to Steve as Tony dodged the dagger and advanced on the god. Loki grinned manically as he swung his right hand at Tony; his dagger glancing off of the billionaire’s left shoulder. Tony hissed in pain as Steve’s right hook was blocked and the god swung around to hit Steve in the solar plexus. Steve’s breath left in a startled wheeze and Tony swung around placing himself between Loki and Steve so that Steve could recover. Loki swung at Tony’s unprotected abdomen with the dagger and Tony dodged out of the way, as Steve’s fist finally made contact with Loki’s jaw. Loki grunted as he was driven back the force of Steve’s blow.

Loki chuckled darkly as he stroked his sore jaw, “Well met, Captain. However, it seems I have no more time for banalities.” There was a flash of magic and Steve fell unconscious.

Tony gaped in shock, “What the fu…”

“Do not run the final tests or attempt to use the Bi-Frost Replicator to create the bridge.” Loki hissed.

“Or what, you’ll kill us?”

Loki shook his head. “No you imbecile, I’m not threatening you. There are things far worse than I, that desire entrance to your world. Protect Darcy, or there will be consequences, and that _is_ a threat.” He grinned, “Oh and this will hurt…” There was a second flash of magic and Tony fell unconscious as well. There was the clamor of approaching men, Loki looked down dispassionately at the unconscious men, and disappeared.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Oh dear one, now don’t give me that look.” The little girl huffed at me as she turned to stare out the window at the sunset, she reminded me so much of her father at that age. I felt the need to explain. “Yes, he made some very poor decisions, trying to do good things but going about doing them in very bad ways. Come now, I know this has been a long story, but take heart, we’re nearly through, and I promise there is a happy ending.” The dark haired blue-eyed girl perked up, she loved happy endings.

“Shall I tell you about my part in this story?” The five-year-old girl nodded.

“Well let’s see, I was sitting in my garden staring into the scrying pool, worrying over his actions… How could he, in less than an hour’s time undo all the good he had accomplished so far?” I gave a small frustrated sigh. “His imprisonment had been a difficult trial for him to endure but I had made certain that when he finally began to see his culpability for his actions, there was a reward. In my foresight knew that there was one with which he might form a soul bond. I had expended much of my magic to find the one. I had sent the spell over the whole of the Nine Realms. His bond-mate had been drawn to him, there in the void. I watched over them. I had told no one of my secret plans. I made deals with the Norns. And in the end, it has been worth everything I have sacrificed. He is whole again thanks to the girl, his bond-mate, and that is all I can hope for.”

The child giggled and I pulled her unto my lap.

“Let’s see where was I… Ah yes, as I sat by the scrying pool and watched as he yet again made another foolish choice. He had tried to distance himself from the girl he was falling in love with in order to keep her safe.” I allowed myself a small smile; his bond-mate was as unruly as he was. Her tongue as untamed and wild as he was controlled. His bond-mate wore her heart in plain sight while he guarded his so closely that many proclaimed that he had none. Of course, I knew better.

The hour was growing late and the child on my lap was growing sleepy. “There is but a little more to tell you. You see, the connection between the two had grown, the girl had removed his stitches, had healed his heart and to some degree his soul as well. Through their bond, the she had even been able to pull him from the void.”

The little one had a small confused look on her face.

“Oh yes, I know I didn’t quite tell you how they crossed through the barrier into the girl’s realm or about some of the other things I’ve told my friends, but I promise you they were and still are very much in love. Though they still had so much to go through, a hard road to travel. He still had much to learn, and nearly lost everything before he… Well now that would be telling wouldn’t it?”

The little girl had a small sleepy smile on her face.

“Perhaps I shall tell you more of the story tomorrow night. For now, I think it’s time you scoot off to bed. Good night min elskede.”   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this begins to explain some of the may unanswered questions that have come up in reviews. Truly I wanted to answer all of the questions but I didn't want to spoil the ending.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright, so my knowledge of all things Marvel, and comic book related have been gleaned from the movies, and Wikipedia. I have messed around abit with the Norse Mythology side of this as well to suit my own purposes.

  
He leaned crookedly against the cave wall, and coughed weakly. A bit of blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth. He barely had the strength to wipe the mess from his face. He slumped to the ground and took stock of his situation. He was depleted both magically and physically. His original plan to sneak in and out of the weapons vault on Asgard had gone awry. The test runs were scheduled for three days from now. Stark would not be able to prevent Foster from running it indefinitely. He had at most a week before they would run the Bi-Frost Replicator. 

He gave a hollow laugh; at least his cloaking spell was still intact. He knew The Other and Thanos were still trying to find him, to monitor his movements and to discover his plans. He was badly injured, something internal. He didn’t even have enough magic left to do a proper diagnostic spell on himself. Well, that wasn’t completely true, he could, but to exert that effort would compromise the integrity of the cloaking spell. 

He coughed again, and this time quite a bit more blood came up. He leaned to the side trying not to gag on the blood. He needed to rest and heal, but he still had other things to do. His mind began to drift as he lay there in a state of semi-consciousness. 

“You stubborn boy! You could never simply ask for help could you?” He felt gentle hands cleaning the blood from his face, and guiding his body to a more comfortable position. “Men and their damn pride…”  

He was hallucinating now, surely. “How could you…Why would you…” his voice sounded weak and frail and he hated it.

Her face finally came into view, “Because no matter how much you deny it, you are my son.”

“Mm… Mm… Frigga? How did you find me? My cloaking spell, it’s impenetrable.” He grimaced.

“It is the same spell I taught you, is it not? I may have taught everything you know, but I have not taught you all that I know.” She smiled softly at him as her hands moved quickly. 

He could feel whatever tear or grave injury he had done to his abdomen, begin to knit together. “Stop.” He growled and pushed at her hands, “You’ll expend too much magic and not be able to return home.” 

She brushed his hands away. “Shush, and let me work.” As always, her hands moved elegantly, weaving her healing magic. In a matter of a few moments, the injury to his abdomen was healed. 

He gave her a calculating look. Such a wound to be healed with relative ease, she was far more powerful than she let on. 

She could easily read the set of his jaw and the look in his bright green eyes. “Of course I hide the extent of my power. I wouldn’t want your father to feel unmanned by the imbalance of our strengths.” She graced him with a crooked smile.

“He is not my father.” Loki hissed.   

Frigga sat back on her heals, with a heavy sigh. “My beautiful idiot.”

“Would that not be an insult more suited to your son?” Loki grumbled as he attempted to stand.

“You are also my son and I’ll not hear another cross word from you.” She placed one firm hand on his shoulder, causing him to stay seated. “And, at the moment I am quite certain it is an apt description of you. Now, I have much to explain to you. So you will listen to me.”

He gave her a petulant look but remained seated. 

“I knew whose child you were the moment Odin placed you in my arms.” She gently smoothed a bit of hair from his face and rested her hand on his cheek. “You have your mother’s eyes. Since coming to the knowledge of your heritage, did you not wonder about your skill with magic? Magic is always inherited, it can be taught and therefore the level of skill increased, but a person must be born with the skill to start with.” 

There was confusion in his eyes. “The Jotuns have a great skill in manipulating ice, but it is exceptionally rare for one to have any magic, let alone the level of skill that you possess. Come now, an average Frost Giant stands at eight to ten cubits, has no magic, and has no hair. You are four and half cubits, you have magic, and hair. Surely you’ve…” her blue eyes glistened a bit. “Surely you’ve wondered about your true mother?” 

Loki blinked in shock. Actually, while he knew about Laufey, he had never considered who his mother might be. He had never even associated the word mother with any other than her. He shook his head.

Frigga sat beside him and composed herself with a small shaky breath. “Many many years ago, Asgard and Vanaheim were to forge an alliance through the marriage of the eldest princess of Vanaheim to the King of Asgard. However, the princess had fallen in love with another and ran away shortly before the ceremony. Fortunately, there was a younger princess, and I had fallen in love with Odin. The alliance was still forged and for many years, there was no word from Farbauti. I was far too busy being Queen of Asgard, and bearing an heir to be concerned with my wayward sister, much to my shame. The war with Jotunheim came swiftly and we were all shaken by the devastation it caused. Thor was only about four years old. When Odin returned with you I knew, Farbauti’s secret love had been Laufey. You are all I have left of her.” 

She reached to place her hand on his face and he pulled away from her, his voice rough and accusing, “Why did you never tell me these things?” 

“Do you recall the reason Odin took you and Thor to the weapons vault when you were boys?”

Loki shook his head.

“Laufey had two elder sons, Byleistr, and Helblindi, by a frost giantess. They were far older than you were and had become arrogant and reckless. They decided to come and take back the Casket of Ancient Winters. They were caught and killed by Heimdall. Laufey then had no heirs, except for you, the child he had rejected years before. Less than a day later, Laufey demanded your return. Odin refused and installed the destroyer in the vault. The destroyer had only two purposes. To protect and defend the Casket… and you.”

Loki sat in shocked silence.

“I had always intended on telling you of your true heritage when I felt you were old enough to understand. Byleistr and Helblindi’s attack came at a terrible time, and cost us greatly. I was with child, and the stress and strain of the attack and Laufey’s demand had caused me to miscarry. That was the reason you boys were with your father that day. Odin was angry because of the attack and because of Laufey’s attempt to take you from us, and he told you boys about the war in far more detail than I think he should have. After I was recovered, he told me of what had occurred and forbade me from telling you the truth. He truly only ever wanted to protect you.”

Loki was silent for a long time. He struggled to stand and this time she allowed it. He paced up and down the cave, his hand trailing along the wall for balance. As he processed the information, his mind reeled.

Frigga stood and watched as he paced, the only outward sign of her distress was the subtle wringing of her hands. Though he needed to know all that she had shared, she knew it was more important that he focus on the task ahead of him. “Loki…” she spoke softly as she tried to lay a hand on his shoulder. 

His face was a mask of pain and confusion when he turned to her, “Why, why now? Why would you tell me all of this now?” 

“It was something I should have told you long ago, but I’d not had the opportunity until now.” She shook her head, she needed to redirect him. “Loki you’ve come to a crossroads. You know the whole truth now. Soon, and I cannot tell just when, you will have a decision to make and that decision will alter the course of your future. You’ve done terrible heinous things, but you can have a bright future. Don’t allow the poor choices of others and your hurt and anger to prevent you from having that future.”

An anxious look of comprehension dawned, “You’ve been to see the Norns.” He grabbed her by the upper arms, “What did they ask of you? What did you have to sacrifice?” His eyes were wild and searching. “Why would you go to those harpies?”                      

She gently disengaged her arms from his tense grip and laid one hand on his cheek. “I can see much in my scrying pool, but even I cannot see all. You were slipping away from me into madness. I had to do something. As for the cost, it is none of your concern.” She whispered. 

He knew then, she had sacrificed something of great value to her. “Frigga…”

She shook her head.

“Mother.” It came out as a broken whisper; tears clouded his vision. He fell to his knees before her. 

“Oh my son,” She sank to her knees as well, gathered him into her arms, and held him as she had when he was a boy.

They remained like that for hours. There were murmured apologies, forgiveness abounded and tears as well.

She sat up a little straighter and tried her tears. She knew what objects he had stolen from the vault and what their significance was. The Norns had told her much, but there was nothing she could offer them to find out the outcome of the coming confrontation. She had even willing offered them her own life. They would not tell her. They claimed that the outcome was unclear even to them. 

She had carefully filtered more of her strength and magic into him as they sat together. He would need every bit of strength and magic he could muster in the coming confrontation. Black spots crept into her vision and there was a heaviness in her limbs. She pulled weakly at him, he sat up beside her, and she handed him her handkerchief. When he’d cleaned his face he handed the handkerchief back, and she rested her head upon his shoulder. “Now tell me about this Darcy Lewis that has so captured your heart.” 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

This was an ugly cry, not happy tears or just a few tears that slipped out when she was upset. No, she was heartbroken, confused, injured, and angry, so very very angry. She had trashed most of her apartment. She had been upset since the day it happened. This explosion was slow in coming. Jane had told her everything she knew about what had happened, though that was admittedly little. The guys had returned to the vault with the worst blow of all though. 

Loki…

She screamed again, her voice was ready to give out. Her thoughts were cyclical; the questions kept turning around in her mind, along with what Jane had told her. 

The doctor had confirmed she had been intimate, that the intercourse had been rough, but he could not honestly determine if it was consensual or not. They had hardly left her alone from that point on. Jane, Erik, Bruce, Pepper, and even Steve had been her babysitters; there was always at least one person with her. She was tired of their simpering and pity filled gazes. It had been a whole week. Finally, one day when it was only she and Erik, she told him she needed to change clothes and convinced him to go out in the hallway. Then she had JARVIS lock everyone out. What started as a cleansing cry had become a pain-filled destructive tantrum. Oddly enough, it was Stark that convinced the rest to allow her this time alone.

Hours later as she sat in the wreckage of her living room, she heard a tentative knock on her door. “Hey kiddo, can I come in?” Stark again. Jane said that she and Stark had grown close over the past month or so. He had come to her rooms several times in the past week to check on her but had never stayed long.   

“What do you want?” she croaked. 

“I come bearing caffeinated offerings.” She could hear the smile in his voice.

She sighed weakly and wiped her face with the end of her sleeve. “Whatever.” She answered. “Alright JARVIS you can let him in, but lock it after he comes in so no one else gets in here please.”

“Yes, of course Ms. Lewis. Will there be anything else?” The AI asked politely as Stark came in.

“No, that’s all thanks J.” 

Tony shut the door quietly and surveyed the damage Darcy had done. “Damn, kiddo. Remind me not to get on your bad side,” he said with a low whistle. He looked kinda haggard as he stood there. His hair was a mess, he had bags under his eyes, and he had a defeated slump to his shoulders. 

“So can I have my coffee, or are just gonna stand there staring at my mess?” she grumbled.

He handed her the cup and sat beside her. “So you want to talk about it?”

She shook her head. The cup was blessedly warm. As she opened the lid, the sweet aroma of caramel drifted up to comfort her. She looked at the cup, and took a quick sip. It was a caramel latte made exactly the way she liked it, (with an extra shot of espresso, and a dollop of whip cream) from her favorite little coffee shop down the street. “How did you know?”

“You’ve forgotten a lot.” He smiled softly, “I’ll tell you what; you don’t feel like talking, that’s okay. How about I talk for a while and you just listen?”

She took a sip of her latte and nodded. He filled in some of the blanks for her. Turns out he knew more than Jane because of their talks and the fact that he had installed cameras in her apartment. He had even been privately monitoring them to keep an eye out for her safety. 

“Whatever his ultimate goals are, I think he has genuine feelings for you. I think it was kinda unexpected for him, but the way he looked at you, how gentle and careful he was with you when you were hurt, that wasn’t fake. What happened between the two of you on that last night, I think it was consensual. Cause right after that he told me; well no more like ordered me, to keep you safe while he was gone. I’m pretty sure he plans on coming back. I don’t know why he took your memories though; maybe he thought he was protecting you.”

She was so quiet, “Did I know that it was him?” 

Tony could hear the fear in her voice and shook his head. “Not initially, no. You had grown fond of him, but all you knew was that he was an ex-con. I think you were really starting to like him and then you figured it out. You didn’t sleep for three days after you found out. You did a lot of research online and figured out about certain drugs that suppress REM sleep. Then you went raiding. You hacked JARVIS, broke into my apartment, and stole some Xanax from me.”

Darcy’s eyes were huge, “Damn, sorry.”

Tony shrugged. “Water under the bridge. I think you were trying to get over him. It was less than a day later when you got hurt so bad. Apparently, he healed you, and you guys worked it out. I stayed out of it because I figured maybe you could help reform him.”  

They sat there quietly for a long time. “Thank you Tony.” She whispered.

He looked surprised, “For what?”

“You’re the first one who didn’t come in here looking at me like I was a broken doll that needs fixing.” She rested her head on his shoulder.

He looked startled but he didn’t pull away. “No problem kiddo, I do my best to take care of the important stuff.” He patted her hand. “I guess you qualify.” 

She straightened up and looked at him. He seemed to be genuine but it was like his actions and choice of words were very deliberate. “Why did you say that?”

“Because I meant it?”

“No why did you say it like that, you’re choosing your words so carefully, why?”

He gave a long sigh. “We’ve had a similar conversation before. I was hoping to jog your memory. Did it work?”

She shook her head. “No, but I guess it was worth a shot. So, you really mean that then?” He nodded. “Thanks Tony.” She laid her head back on his shoulder.

Tony was quiet for a long time. “Oh and by the way, still not happy about you hacking into JARVIS.”

Darcy laughed for the first time in a week. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this chapter a few days early in honor of Tom Hiddleston's birthday!!

The talk with Tony helped a lot. She was grateful for his honesty, and his humor. He had even stuck around for a while and helped her put some of the bigger pieces of furniture back the way they belonged. He asked her to let JARVIS unlock the door and promised she wouldn’t be bothered unless she specifically asked for company. He also got Jane and the doctor to let her go back to work the following Monday. 

Jane was so close to the final test run of the Einstein-Rosen Bridge machine, it was a wonder she wasn’t working 24/7. Darcy smiled ruefully at the thought, she wanted to be there to work but also be the one who made sure Jane ate and rested when necessary. She was tired of being taken care of; it was her turn to take care of someone else. It was that or dwell on her own miserable situation. 

Tony had been so nice about Loki but she just felt hollow. How the hell could she have developed feelings for the monster who tried to take over her planet less than a year ago? At this point, his motives for taking her memories mattered very little to her. She was so done. She hated feeling used and that seemed to be exactly what happened. He had been bound, she set him free, broke him out of space jail, they had sex, and he left, stripping her of every memory that they had made together. She had woke up very sore and covered in bruises. And the bite mark, a bloody fucking bite mark, he marked her like an animal. 

The more she thought about it, the more she decided that she really disliked him, maybe even hated him. The manipulative bastard. It was a good thing she was going back to work on Monday so she could get her mind off him. 

She spent the weekend piddling around her apartment doing anything and everything to avoid thinking about _him._ When she arrived at the lab Monday morning, she found chaos. Interns and lab assistants were running back and forth, Jane was shouting at people and Erik seemed to be trying to calm Jane down. Tony stood to one side with a slight smirk on his face. 

Darcy leaned against the wall beside Tony. “What’s going on?” she whispered.

“One of the main processors went down last night and Jane’s about to lose her mind because of it. I don’t recommend making eye contact. I think she can smell fear.”

Darcy chuckled. Some things never change. “How long has she been yelling?”

“Twenty minutes or so, why?” Tony had an odd look on his face.

“She’ll probably go critical soon. Hey, did you ever figure out what it was _he_ was looking for your vault?” Darcy tried to ask nonchalantly.

Tony’s quirked eyebrow said she hadn’t succeeded. “All he took was this old yellow stone that used to be my mom’s. It wasn’t worth anything, mostly just sentimental value. Kind of a weird thing for him to take. I think he may have just been in there to mess with my head though.” Tony shrugged.   

Jane’s voice rose in pitch and Darcy’s eyes went wide. “Shit, she’s about to blow.” She covered her ears. “5… 4… 3…” 

Tony’s eyebrows shot up but he covered his ears as well.

“2… 1!”

Jane gave an incoherent shrill shriek and collapsed into a nearby chair.

Darcy smiled at Tony, “Now, she’s safe to talk to.” 

Jane had a weary, slightly manic look on her face. “Hey Janey-bird, wassup?”

“Processor 3 went down last night, and we might have to delay the final test runs, and if we can’t get it working today if we have to delay the test runs, that’ll mean we can’t actually create the bridge for another whole week.” Jane’s hands were fisted in her hair.

Darcy grabbed Jane’s hands and gently began to detangle the astrophysicist’s grip. “Whoa, chill out there girly. You’re gonna give yourself a bald spot. It’s not that big a deal, if you have to wait a couple days. What happened, do you know yet why it went down?”

Jane shook her head, “No, it looks like it may be just a computer glitch.” 

“Okay, well, computer glitches happen sometimes. It’s fixable right?” Darcy looked to Tony who nodded. “See, it’s fixable. I’m sure if everyone works on it, it’ll be fixed in no time. But you’re gonna have to chill out cause I think you may have scared the ever loving piss out of some of your new interns.”

Jane looked up sharply and a few of the interns did indeed flinch. “Oh, geez.” Jane stood and attempted to smile at everyone. “Sorry I kinda lost it.” She announced loudly.      

There was a quiet round of murmured understanding as everyone went back to trying to figure out the problem.

Fortunately, there was a very clever new intern and the issue was resolved by the end of the day. Darcy had gotten back to her personal computer and began working through some of the most recent data. It felt good to be back doing something she was familiar with. By the end of the day, she was waning though. About 6:30, she looked around and realized it was only she and Jane left in the lab. “Hey, we’re the only ones left, let’s call it a night.” 

Jane still looked a little frazzled from earlier and insisted that she’d only stay for another hour or so.    

“If you’re not in your apartment by 8 I’m coming to get you, and I will be in my rattiest pj’s.” Darcy grinned crookedly at Jane, knowing that Jane would be far more embarrassed by Darcy’s appearance than she was of herself.   

Jane sighed heavily, “Alright, alright. I promise.”

“Or why don’t you come to my apartment when you’re done? I got Ben and Jerry’s.”

Jane perked up at that. “Cherry Garcia?”

“Would I invite you to my room for ice cream without it? We can have a girl’s night, wear our slouchy pj’s, eat ice cream, and watch sappy movies.” 

Jane gave her a watery smile, “Actually, that’d be really great. We haven’t done that in a long time.” She stood and gave Darcy a long tight hug. She stepped back wiping at her eyes. “It’s a date! I’ll see you in an hour or so!”

Darcy swiped at a few tears herself, “Look at that, you got me crying and we haven’t even started watching The Notebook yet!” They both laughed. Jane sat back down to finish what she was working on and Darcy made her way back to her apartment. 

Darcy changed into her pj’s, pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail, and munched on a few pieces of leftover pizza, as she threw some blankets on the couch, pulled out her girliest movies (she didn’t like the romcoms but Jane did), popped a bag of popcorn, and set out a couple of wine coolers. She pulled out the ice cream and set one the counter. Satisfied with her handiwork she looked up at the clock. It was ten after eight. “Hey JARVIS, where’s Jane?”     

“I’m sorry Ms. Lewis but I’m not sure. I’m getting a mixed reading from her lab. She’s there but she’s not.” The AI sounded genuinely confused.

Darcy was in motion as she spoke. “Goddammit! She’s trying to run the bridge machine! Tell Tony to get to the lab like right now!” She ran down the hall to the elevator as fast as her slippered feet could go. At the elevator she paused, was it faster to take the stairs of the elevator? “Hey JARVIS, can you make the elevator go faster than usual?” 

The elevator in front of her popped open, “Yes, ma’am I can.” Darcy stepped into the open elevator, the immediately slid shut. “Please hold on the railing Ms. Lewis.” 

Darcy grabbed unto the railing and the elevator shot up the eight floors. The doors slid opened and Darcy ran down the hall to the lab. 

“Jane!!” Darcy called desperately as she got to the door of the lab. “Hey, Jane!!”

She wrenched open the door and found Jane lying on her side. The machine was winding down. There was almost static-y buzz in the air. “Jane, Jane!” Darcy knelt carefully next to her trying to figure out if she was okay. She was breathing, that was a good sign.

Suddenly Tony, Steve, and some guy with a bow and arrow busted into the room.

“What the hell happened in here?” Tony sputtered. 

Darcy looked around and saw the mess for the first time. It was as if every paper in the lab had been pulled from every folder, book, file case, and desk, tossed them around like a tornado, and dropped. 

Darcy scowled at the guy with the bow and arrow. “Really Robin Hood, what the hell were you gonna do with that?” 

His eyes narrowed, he relaxed his grip on the bow, and flipped the arrow so she could see the tip better. “Small contained explosive ordinance.”

“Oh, okay so that sounds highly effective.” Darcy’s eyes were wide as saucers. 

Jane groaned and rolled towards her. “Hey Jane, what happened in here?”

The astrophysicist looked sheepish as she sat up and explained. “Um, well it looks like for the final test runs and the actual creation of the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, we’ll have to work on the roof.” At Darcy’s confused look, Jane shrugged. “Creating a wormhole indoors isn’t such a great idea. I took a stapler to the head.” Jane rubbed the side of her head as she gestured to the mess.

Darcy fell back on her butt and laughed. 

“Really Jane, seriously?” Darcy shook her head. “You do realize the absolute paperwork nightmare you’ve created here, right?”

Jane laughed too. They looked at each and really lost it, laughing so hard they had to lean on each other for support. A few minutes later when they calmed, Darcy looked up to see only Tony watching over them.

“Better, now?” He snarked as he offered them each a hand up.

Darcy grinned, “Yeah, I think we’re good.”

Jane grimaced as she looked at Darcy. “You’re in your pj’s.”

“Yep, told you if you were late I’d do it.” Darcy grinned unashamed.

“Darcy…” Jane whined.

“Jane,” Darcy mocked in return. “Oh forget about it, I got ice cream melting on my counter. Go get your stuff and meet me down there. I’ll get these papers picked up. We’ll have to sort them in the morning though.”

Jane relented, “Alright I’ll put the ice cream in the freezer if I get there before you.” She left as Tony and Darcy picked up the papers.

“So I’ll be honest, when JARVIS told me to get to the lab I thought Loki was back.” Tony quipped.

Darcy stiffened but didn’t respond. She kept her back to Tony and hurried to finish picking up all the papers. She could hear him rustling around behind her.

“I still have the recorded security tapes; if you want I could pipe the feed into your TV so you could see it.” Tony offered.

Darcy bristled and slammed the remainder of the papers on the desk in front of her.

“You okay, Kiddo?” Tony asked carefully.

“No, no I’m not okay. I don’t want to talk about him.”

“Okay, I’m sensing some hostility, here. Just to be clear, you’re mad at him not me right?” Tony’s eyes were wide with concern.

Darcy sighed heavily; she was freaking out the guy with the emotional range of a teaspoon with her anger. “Sorry Tony, yeah I’m just a little pissed…” Tony gave her a look of doubt for the word little. “Okay a lot pissed, but I promise none of it’s directed at you. I just don’t want to talk about him.”

“I don’t get it, we were laughing, and joking last time we talked. Why are you so pissed at him now?” God, emotional stuff put him so out of his element. He sighed, give him a broken down machine or a complicated math problem any day, but give him an emotionally broken down person? He had to stuff his hands in his pockets to not to call Pepper in L.A.

“I’ve had too much time to think about it. He practically mind-raped me Tony! Three months of my memory are gone! There’s no getting them back. And even if he gives me back my memories, what’s to say he hasn’t tampered with them? No one else saw what happened between the two of us, there’s no outside source that can verify that’s he’s telling the truth. Hello, he’s the god of lies! He could have been manipulating me the whole time and now I don’t even have my own memories to tell me what to believe. I can’t even trust my own memories…” She faltered; she was dangerously close to the screaming fit from the day before. 

“And the scariest thing is, there’s this tiny little part of me that wants this love story that you and Jane have told me to be true, that I could be his reason to be a better man. I want to hate him for what he’s done. But I want this fairytale redemption arc to be real too.” She whispered. 

He reached over and pulled her into a hug.

They held each other for a while when she spoke, her voice was a little rough. “What made you decide to play devil’s advocate anyway? He threw you through a 40th floor window.” 

Tony shrugged, “Everyone deserves a second chance. I got one.”

“So when are you and Pepper gonna have some rugrats?”

Tony’s grip slackened and when Darcy looked at him, he was white as a sheet. “What, why would you ask something like that? Did Pepper say something about it? Shit, is she… am I gonna…?” 

“Take it easy, breath Tony, breath! I was only asking because I think you’d make a great dad.”

“We’ve had this conversation before, only last time you said I would have made a great big brother. I think I like that better. Yeah let’s stick with that, I’d be a terrible father.”   

Darcy laughed, “No you wouldn’t, you’d be awesome. Your kids would have all the best toys!” Darcy sighed, “I’d better go; if Jane’s in my apartment to long she’ll start trying to alphabetizing all my books again.” She was by the door when Tony spoke.

“Hey Darcy, when he comes back, he’ll want what you guys had before. As he left he was being very cryptic, and his biggest concern was that you were kept safe. In fact, he implied he’d kill me if you got hurt. Something’s coming, something big and it scared him. And, something that could scare the king of the freak show, it’s gonna be bad. It may be better if you and Jane aren’t there when it happens.”

“You aren’t going to be able to keep us away. This is going to Jane’s big moment, and I’m going to be there to support her. Don’t worry about Jane, I got my taser, and this time I want to be the big gorramn hero. You guys are just gonna have to stay sharp, and be there _if_ anything does happen. Don’t forget he is the god of lies; this could all be some kind of trick.” Darcy gave him a crooked smile and left for her apartment. 

Tony headed up to his own apartment. “JARVIS, what’s ‘big gorramn hero’ a reference of?” The AI began to answer, “Never mind, just put it on my ‘to watch’ list.”

“The movie or the television show, sir?”

Tony frowned in thought as he entered his penthouse, “Hmm, both? Both… Both is good.” 

He walked to his bar, pulled out a bottle of scotch, and plopped down in his favorite chair. He hadn’t been lying when he told Darcy, he thought Loki had returned. 

Without realizing it, he began mumbling aloud as he tried to work out the plan…

“…Due to start testing any day now. Jane messed around with it, can’t test in in the lab… She said we’ll need a location change, maybe the roof… Could take a few days… Still by Wednesday maybe Thursday, should be ready for the final test runs.” He wasn’t sure delaying the tests or the creation of the bridge was going to help at all but damned if he wasn’t going to keep trying. He took a long drink straight from the bottle, and scrubbed roughly at his face as he thought about it. If only Loki hadn’t been so vague maybe, he could have…   

“Dr. Foster is…”

“HOLY SHIT!” Tony jumped up from his chair, clutching at his chest, as his heart pounded madly. “Son of a bitch you nearly gave me a heart attack!”

Loki sat on his couch looking mildly concerned, “Are you in need of medical assistance?”

Tony took a couple of deep breaths trying to calm his racing heart, “No, it’s just a figure of speech, look we’re gonna have to establish some ground rules here. You cannot just pop in here whenever you feel like it. I get that you’re doing the whole redeemed thing and trying to help us but I could have had company.” Tony sat back heavily in the chair. 

“Once again, you underestimate me, Mr. Stark. I’ve been here in your apartment for hours; I specifically waited until you were alone.”

“So you’ve been creeper-stalking me? I’m not okay with that.”

Loki frowned, “Stark, there are far more important thing to discuss, than your comfort level. For instance, Dr. Foster’s assertion that the tests and final run of the Bi-Frost Replicator should not be run indoors. This is correct, however the roof is not a viable solution either. It needs to be done as far from any populace, as possible.”

Tony grimaced as he ran through possible nearby locations, and discarded each as soon as he thought of them. “Why? It worked just fine when Selvig ran it on my rooftop a year ago.”

“Because the one coming through does not fly, I am not certain if your building is structurally sound enough to hold his bulk. He is far larger, stronger, and more merciless than the Chitauri. His goal is not to subjugate this planet, but to destroy every life upon it.” 

“How do I know any of what you’re telling me is true?”

“You don’t.” He smirked. “I could very well be lying. However, if I tell the truth the only hope humanity has lies with the plan I have placed before you. I have a weapon, perhaps the only one in existence that will work against him. I give it to you and the Avengers.” He laid a large heavy looking gold gauntlet palm up, on the coffee table. “It is unimaginably powerful, nearly sentient, and should only be wielded by someone with a truly noble heart. Someone who will not be corrupted by the power of it. I recommend the Captain.” Loki sat back and sighed heavily.

Tony quietly contemplated the god before him. When Loki left, he was the picture of health, now a little more than a week later he had heavy bags under his eyes, and he was gaunt. “You look like hell, what happened to you?”

“I had more trouble retrieving that than I had planned. I am fine; my welfare is none of your concern.” Loki stood and began to pace, he faced away from Tony as he spoke again, and the billionaire thought he heard a catch in the god’s voice, “How fares Darcy?”

“She’s really pissed. I get that you were/are trying to protect her or whatever. But she’s starting to hate you for taking her memories away.” Tony took another long drink of scotch.

Loki turned his face a mask of confusion, “What did you say?”

“Umm she kinda hates you right now?” 

“No, what did you say about her memories?” His confusion was turning into something akin to horror.

Tony’s breathe left in a startled hiss, “Damn, you messed this up bad. JARVIS pull up the last twenty-five minutes of security footage from the lab, and play it on the screen in here.”

Loki sat on the couch and watched in horrified silence as Darcy spewed venom about him. Tony cut the footage off as Darcy left the lab. 

Loki groaned and dropped his head into his hands. 

“So, I take it you screwed up and didn’t mean to mess with her memories?”

“Obviously.” He sneered.

“Okay, don’t be snarky with me, it’s not my fault.” 

“What is done cannot be undone, the spell was simply meant to remove any presence of magic from her. They know I have a connection to her, if they cannot locate me they would look for her. The traces of my magic surrounding her would have led them straight to her.” He shook his head and stood slowly. “Perhaps this is for the best. She no longer has any connection to me. She is safe, and shall remain so.” For a single brief, second Tony saw a broken man before him. There was utter desolation in his eyes. When the god spoke again, it was as if he’d forgotten he wasn’t alone. “No matter the cost I will keep this world safe for her.” 

He took a deep breath, and it was as if the moment had never happened. “When you run the tests, catch Heimdall’s attention and request Thor’s assistance. When you create the Bi-Frost be certain SHIELD is there in full force.” He turned to leave. “I will contact you again before it happens. Keep that hidden, Thor will recognize it and it will create unnecessary suspicions.”  

“What am I supposed to say to get Thor here?”

“Tell them The Mad Titan is coming.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author: You've gotta be kidding me...
> 
> Loki: Not at all. (author remains stubbornly silent) You will do as we discussed!
> 
> Author: Fine! Loki is not a jerk, he is simply misunderstood, he would never intentionally hurt Darcy .
> 
> Loki: And...
> 
> Author: Nope, no way! I am not apologizing for the number of pop culture references this chapter! I enjoyed putting them in there, and I bet the reviewers will like them too! 
> 
> Loki: You're almost as bad as Darcy. (stalks away) 
> 
> Author: He's being incredibly difficult. First he takes her memories, (not in my original plan) and now he says he didn't do it on purpose! What am I going to do what that god?


	18. Chapter 18

It had taken about six hours the next morning to re-organize the lab after Jane’s botched attempt to test the machine. Tony shrugged good-naturedly and they had worked together to figure out what went where. Jane had been pissed that Tony insisted on relocating to Central Park, as it cost them another full day. The final test was then scheduled to run on Thursday. 

Thursday dawned, a crisp fall morning, clear blue skies and cool but comfortable temperatures. Stark Industries had been able to cordon off a section of the park. The equipment was set up bright and early, and all the necessary people were in attendance. Tony, Jane, Erik, Darcy, and numerous scientists and interns, stood around waiting. Steve, Bruce Banner, and a red headed SHIELD agent Darcy was unfamiliar with watched from the sidelines. Jane said Agent Barton, the guy with the bow and arrow, was around somewhere too.   

Tony stood on the small platform that would become the landing ground when the machine was actually up and fully running. He grinned and clapped his hands together loudly to get everyone’s attention. “Okay people, one last time, here’s the plan. At nine a.m., we’re going to run the final test. There’s likely going to be a high amount of static charge, so no cigarettes, or cell phones. Dr. Foster has the message. We’re going to attempt direct communication with Asgard, so silence during the test please. Everybody got it?” There were nods and murmurs of agreement. “Alrighty, let’s make history. Schmidt, start the five minute countdown on my mark,” Tony looked down at his watch, “annnd… … mark.” 

Tony hopped down from the small platform and hurried over to the equipment. Darcy stood in front of the piece of equipment she was supposed to monitor. She was pretty sure Jane was just humoring her desire to be there, cause any monkey could watch the gauge to make certain it didn’t go into critical, but it was nice to be included. 

Jane held her scripted SHIELD-approved message. Darcy could see Jane’s hands shaking slightly as she stood next to the platform. She knew Jane was torn, the scientist part of Jane wanted to be in the middle of all the equipment making certain everything was working the way she had planned, and the other part of her really wanted the chance to be the first human to officially speak to another planet. “You got this girly!” Darcy shouted as she gave Jane two thumbs up and a big toothy smile. She saw Jane give a small laugh, but at least she looked a little more relaxed. 

The whole group seemed to grow more and more anxious as the large digital clock counted down the last minute or so. Darcy could feel the static building around them as the ARC reactor’s great engine began to hum loudly. 

Darcy saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly she realized the whole operation was surrounded by SHEILD agents, locked, and loaded. Everyone else seemed oblivious; Tony checked a few more gauges and stepped over beside Jane as the last twenty seconds counted down. Anxiety crawled over Darcy and she went to call out to Tony to warn them, when an odd thought crossed her mind. “ _Do not be_ _alarmed. They are here for your safety.”_ The fear washed away as her mind cleared and it was replaced with a feeling of warmth and security.  

“5… 4… 3… 2… 1…” 

Jane stepped up unto the platform as a long shaft of light shot up from the machine, through the clouds and into the atmosphere. Darcy couldn’t hear Jane’s voice over the noise of the machinery, but she knew what the paper said any way. Jane’s nervousness seemed to melt away as she spoke and Darcy felt like she could shout for joy, as Jane stood illuminated by the great light. This was such a moment of triumph for everyone; the moment humanity took its place in the universe. As Jane finished her statement, Tony hopped up beside her and shouted something. Jane gave him a dirty look as the machine began winding down. They both stepped down from the platform; Tony grabbed a bottle of water from the nearby table, and walked away as Jane started to rant.    

“What the hell was that Tony?” She was pissed. “Look, I don’t like SHIELD any more than you do, but if we want to keep this a civilian project we have to do some things the way they want. And hopping up there and shouting out a hello to Thor and giving them a cryptic message is going to get this project ripped right out of our hands!” Jane followed Tony as he walked straight over to Darcy.

He seemed to be looking at something over Darcy’s right shoulder. “It’s done.” He said with a hard look on his face. He nodded and turned to Jane. “Look, as important as this project is, there are things going on here that I won’t explain to you right now, things that are even more important.” Jane stormed away to check on the readings they got from the final test run. 

Tony turned to Darcy, “You okay Kiddo?”

Darcy was surprised by the question. “Yeah I’m fine, why?”

He gestured to the surrounding SHIELD agents. “We didn’t tell you guys, cause we didn’t want anyone to freak out. They were just here in case something unexpected happened.” 

“Hey, so long as they were supposed to be here I’m fine with it.” Darcy shrugged and smiled. “So what’s up with you breaking rank to talk to Thor? You got a man-crush or something?”

Tony rubbed the back of his neck and laughed awkwardly. “Nah, a friend wanted me to get a message to him.” And odd look crossed his face, “Yeah, a friend.” He smiled like he had just made a decision, and then made another odd face. He blushed and took a quick drink from his water bottle. Which he then choked on. He sputtered and shook his head.  

“Ohh kay… You’re acting kinda weird today Tony.” 

“Go away.” He hissed. 

“Whatever, fine.” Darcy turned to leave as Tony grabbed her sleeve.

“Sorry no, not you. There was a very annoying fly buzzing around.”

“Okay, you’re being a lot weird. It’s almost winter there are no bugs out here.”

Tony grimaced, “Sorry, I guess I’m just feeling a little stressed out. Tell you what,” he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Why don’t you grab a few of the interns and do a coffee run for everyone.” He handed her his credit card.

“Oh yeah cause you need _more_ caffeine right now.” Tony gave her a pleading look. “Fine, whatever.” 

She turned and called out to a couple of the interns. Someone pinched her butt. The only one close enough was Tony. She turned back to glare at Tony who had a panicked look on his face. “It’s a damn good thing we’re friends Tony. I’m going to give you a pass on that one, because you seemed to be going through some kind of minor breakdown right now, but I swear to god if you ever touch my ass without permission again, I will tase you in the balls.” She hissed at him. The pale slightly green look on his face said her threat had done the trick. “And no coffee for you, mister. I don’t care if you are paying.”

As she stormed away, she heard Tony whine, “Dammit, I really wanted a coffee.”

It took Darcy and three interns to get all of the coffee orders. About 45 minutes later, she and the interns were juggling at least eight coffees apiece and trying to convince the stupid SHIELD agent near the edge of the test site to let them back in. “No I don’t have my I.D. with me dammit! I told you I left it with my stuff over on the equipment right over there!” She pointed to her purse 20 feet away. 

Finally, she saw Steve. She carefully put down the coffees, put two fingers in her mouth, and whistled loudly. “HEY, STEVE!” she shouted. “Hey, will you tell this moron, I’m allowed to be here?” she pleaded as Steve walked over with a big smile.

Steve chuckled, “Let her and the interns in.”

The SHIELD agent balked, “I need to see some kind of I.D.”

Steve pulled himself up straighter and his voice hardened. “Son, do you know who I am?” the agent paled a bit, nodded, and stepped aside.

“Thank you Steve.” She smiled smugly as she picked the coffees and sauntered past the agent. 

“Aww, you went all Captain America on him for me. You’re a sweet guy, muscles!” She bumped him lightly with her shoulder.

Steve blushed a bit. “Just trying to help where I can. Hey, you want me to carry some of those?” He gestured to the coffees in her hands. 

“Sure, thanks! You’re such a gentleman. You ought to give Tony a few lessons in manners.”

Steve blushed harder, “I suppose it’s difficult for him to behave around a pretty girl.” He tripped a bit and stumbled a moment before regaining his footing.

Darcy giggled at his uncharacteristic lack of grace. “You okay there Cap?” He nodded. “So you think I’m pretty?” She teased as she batted her eyelashes at him.

He jumped spilling the coffees on himself. Then he twisted around looking at the ground. “Something grabbed me! I swear!” He seemed unconcerned by the hot coffee in his skin. 

“Umm doesn’t that hurt?” Darcy pointed to his steaming shirt. 

He looked down, “Oh, not really.” He shrugged and handed the remains of the coffee to Darcy.

She looked at the ruined tray of coffee. “Steve,” she whined, “that had my latte on it.” She looked up in time to see Steve removing his coffee-stained shirt. 

“Sorry.” Steve’s voice was muffled by his long-sleeved shirt around his ears.

“Oh that’s okay, I don’t mind, it’s totally worth it.” Darcy said breathlessly.

Suddenly, Steve fell backwards and landed on his butt in a mud puddle. Darcy began to laugh as the redheaded agent, Bruce, and Agent Barton walked over.

“Steve, why are you half-naked?” then she turned to Darcy. “And wasn’t I invited to the party? Agent Natasha Romanov.” She said curtly, introducing herself.

Darcy nodded and put the coffees on a table beside them. She held out a hand out to the redhead. “Darcy Lewis, I’m Jane’s assistant.” Natasha shook her hand and smiled.

Steve stood and attempted to use his already soiled shirt to wipe the mud from his rear-end. 

Darcy giggled and leaned towards Natasha, “He took off the shirt because it had coffee on it, maybe he should take off the jeans as well.”

Steve frowned as a breeze whipped the shirt from his hand, and it landed muddy side up on his face. 

Everyone laughed as Jane and Tony walked over. “Not funny guys.” Steve fumed.

“I beg to differ!” Darcy laughed.

Suddenly there was a swirling pattern of light in the sky. They all looked up in time to see the clouds part and a rainbow shaft of light touchdown on their platform. A cold gust of wind rushed past Darcy. 

Jane was running towards the platform before anyone could stop her. Darcy could see two shadows in the light but the light flared and everyone covered their eyes. When the light died down, they looked up to see Thor standing on the platform alone. Jane jumped upon the platform and wrapped her arms around Thor’s bulk.

“Jane.” His smile was soft and warm. 

She stepped back and slapped him, “Where were you?” Thor arched an eyebrow. “It’s been two years! I’ve been waiting, and then I was crying, and then I went out looking for you. You said you were coming back!”

“I know, I know but, the Bi-Frost was destroyed, the Nine Realms erupted into chaos, wars were raging, marauders were pillaging. I had to put an end to the slaughter.” He hurried to explain.

“As excuses go it’s not terrible, but I saw you on TV, you were, you were in New York!” Jane demanded.

“Jane, I fought to protect you from the dangers of my world, but I was wrong I was a fool. I believe that fate brought us together.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I have missed you.” His large hand cupped her cheek, he leaned down, and he kissed her.

“Aww that’s so sweet!” Darcy’s voice came from far too close. “Hey big guy good to see you! What are you doing here?”

Jane blushed and fussed at Darcy, “Uh, we’re kinda in the middle of something here.”

Thor looked torn. “Actually Jane, I came to speak to Tony.” At Jane’s disappointed look, he amended his statement. “Our conversation should not take long, and I promise as soon as we finish I shall return to you,” he said with such sincerity Jane nodded sadly.

“Alright. Fine, but don’t forget I’m waiting.” 

Thor nodded and stepped off the platform. He walked up to the rest of the Avengers and greeted them with a smile. “My friends, it is good to see you, though I wish it could be under better circumstances.” He cocked his head to the side. “Captain…?”

“Don’t even ask.” Steve growled.

Thor held up his hands, “I believe we should retire someplace a little more private and continue this discussion. This is a dire matter and not suitable for all to hear.”

“Let’s go to the Tower.” Tony slipped a bluetooth out of his pocket and onto his ear. “JARVIS, have Happy bring the car around.” Looking at the group around him. “Better tell him to send two. Get Fury on the phone and see if he can make it to the tower, if not hook him up to a conference call in the War Room. Oh, and have someone run to Rogers’ room and get him a clean pair of clothes.” He removed the bluetooth after receiving the AI’s response and turned to the rest of the group. “Alright let’s do this.”

Darcy watched as the Avengers walked to the edge of the park. Tony stepped to the side and seemed to be having an argument with JARVIS. ‘Hmm’, Darcy mused. ‘I thought he put the bluetooth away.’ 

Thor took his cape off, threw it over Steve’s head, and called loudly for Tony to join them. Tony shook his head once more and Thor looked at him oddly. Darcy saw a breeze whip Tony’s hair around and then he walked over to join the others. Jane came over to join Darcy and together they watched The Avengers pile into a couple of cars and take off for the Tower.

Jane sighed. Darcy wrapped an arm around her and smiled. “Don’t worry it won’t take too long.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so long explanation here. In my mind the events of Thor 2 happened kinda...  
>  **MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THOR 2**
> 
> Umm... Let's say one of the kids found the aether, and Thor being the noble guy he was, set out to help the kid. No Jane means Frigga doesn't die, and Loki being locked up another way means no Loki taking over Asgard. 
> 
> Moving on. Yes I took the dialogue between Thor and Jane almost word for word from the movie because I liked that scene a lot.
> 
> Also, this chapter came tumbling out faster than I've ever written a chapter, so let me know if there are any mistakes. It feels weird to have written a whole chapter in less than 24 hrs. 
> 
> And last of all, Steve is a really nice guy and Loki is a little shit.
> 
> Sorry Steve.


	19. Chapter 19

_Jane sighed. Darcy wrapped an arm around her and smiled. “Don’t worry it won’t take too long.”_

Famous last words… 

Darcy groaned as Jane stood up to pace again. It was after midnight and the guys still hadn’t come out of the “War Room” as Tony had dubbed it. 

“Oh come on Jane, sit down, you’re going to make me dizzy with all that pacing.” Jane sat beside her on the couch with a humph. “Why don’t you pick the movie this time? It can be whatever sappy romcom you want.”

“Do you still have ‘Kill Bill’?” She growled.

Darcy cringed. “Yikes. How about we start with a few episodes of Revenge and build up to Quentin Tarantino.” Darcy got up to look through her DVD collection.

There was a knock on the door. Internally Darcy pleaded with the heavens above as she went to answer the door. Thor stood there filling the doorway with his bulk. “Oh thank god.” She muttered as she turned around. “Jane, delivery!” She called. She heard the other woman grumble about not being hungry. “Oh I think you’ll want this, it’s big, blonde, and burly.”

Jane came tearing through the apartment. Darcy stepped out of the way just in time to avoid being in the middle of a very enthusiastic greeting. Darcy grinned at first, and then when it began to go on and on she grew uncomfortable. 

“Alright guys, why don’t you take that to Jane’s apartment?” Darcy groused. 

Thor set Jane back down, and gave Darcy a wounded puppy dog look. “Tony has informed me of my brother’s…”

Darcy stopped him with an upraised hand. “No don’t, please don’t. I really don’t want to talk about what happened. It’s over and done with.” She swallowed and shook her head. “Look, it’s been great seeing you and all, but Jane’s been mopey all day. You guys go have fun, don’t worry about me, I’m totally fine.” 

Thor laid a heavy hand on her shoulder, “It was good to see you too Lady Darcy, we shall have to talk soon. I understand your reluctance to speak of it this, but it is not a matter to be lightly brushed aside. I have only one thing that I ask of you, please consider carefully what may have happened between Loki and yourself. My brother has done many terrible things but he has never intentionally harmed any of his lovers that I am aware of. Also knowing Loki, I am certain whatever is between the two of you is hardly over and done with.” He gave her one more concerned look, and allowed himself to be dragged away by Jane. 

A cool breeze brushed past Darcy, she shivered, shut the door, and sighed heavily. It was late and she felt exhausted by the emotional upheaval of the day. The joy and elation from the successful test, the excitement of Thor’s return, and the long wait with Jane. And of course, Tony, the blockhead, had to go and tell Thor about _him_. If she wanted to talk to Thor about _him_ she would have done it in her own time, in her own way. Now he was going to keep looking at her like she was a broken thing with those big sad blue eyes. 

She huffed and straightened up her apartment so she could go to bed. She grabbed the last of her iced tea and took it with her to her room. She brushed her hair; pulled on a big floppy old t-shirt, flipped off the lights, sat down in the middle of the bed, and pulled her covers up over her legs. Thor’s words echoed in her mind.

“JARVIS?” she called softly.

“Yes, Ms. Lewis?”

She sighed, “Tony said there was some footage of the time Loki was here with me.” She swallowed a small lump of fear. “Would you pull it up for me?” she asked quietly.

“Would you prefer Mr. Stark’s edited version or would you prefer the long running feed?”

Darcy grimaced, “Uh, how long is the long running feed?”

“There is over ninety-eight hours on that feed.”

“Ah no, that would take way too much time. What about the edited footage, Tony didn’t make a porno of me did he?”

There was humor in the AI’s response. “No, there is nothing of that nature in Mr. Stark’s edited version. Though if that is what you are looking for I can pull up the restored footage of the last ten hours of Mr. Odinson’s stay in the tower.”

“No, I’m not really sure I’m, ready to see… Wait a minute, did you say ten _hours_?”

“Yes ma’am, though to be fair the last two hours are of the both of you sleeping.”

Darcy’s mind went into overdrive. “Holy crap, talk about godly stamina.” She muttered. Damn no wonder she was sore the next day, freakin marathon sex, for eight whole hours… whoa…

“Ms. Lewis…” The AI’s voice cut through Darcy’s thoughts. “Did you want to see the edited footage, or the restored footage?”

“Umm, why is it ‘restored’ footage?”

“You asked me…” Darcy heard her own voice excitedly whispering, “ _Hey, I know Tony put some cameras and probably some mics in here. I want to spend some ‘personal’ time with my man but I’d rather not do anything that Tony can see. Can you help me out; I don’t know blur the image or put some static in the sound or something? Please JARVIS?_ ” “I have since restored the footage in the off chance you may want to view it again yourself.”

“Oh, okay, I guess I’m just going to go with Tony’s version for right now.”

Her television popped on and the footage started with Loki carrying her in to her apartment bridal style, she was laughing, blushing, and fussing at him, but Darcy couldn’t tell what she was saying because the dialog had been replaced with some 80’s sounding instrumental sax music. “Wait, wait, wait.” The video feed paused. “JARVIS, did Tony replace all of the dialogue with this kind of music?”

“Yes, he did. I believe he thought it would seem more romantic.”

Darcy shook her head and chuckled. “Remind me to give Pepper my condolences when she gets back from L.A. Okay, can you strip out the music, restore the dialog, and restart it for me? That should be enough for now.”  

“Here is the restored edited feed. Good night Ms. Lewis, and please, if you have need of anything else, just let me know.”

“Thanks, J.” she said softly as the feed began to play. He was carrying her into her apartment. It was when they had returned from the hospital. She was fussing at him because she felt he was also unwell and shouldn’t be carrying her. She kept calling him Tom, and his face looked different from what she remembered from the footage about the attack in New York. A little broader, a little more masculine, his hair was lighter, and he had a goatee. He looked the way Orlando Bloom did in Pirates of the Caribbean. She found herself thinking he looked better as himself. She shook her head. ‘Focus Darcy.’

She watched the scenes of domesticity play out before her. They spoke of her head injury, of the awful doctors at the hospital, and of other far less important things. But all the while, she saw him treat her so carefully. As she watched him healing and his powers returning she noticed he seemed sad, in moments when her filmed counterpart wasn’t paying attention he almost seemed depressed, like he feared he was about to lose her. Then her counterpart would turn and say something silly and he would laugh and he would act as though the sadness had never crossed his face. 

He seemed to want to carry her everywhere. If she moved to do something, he followed her watching after her. They had a small fight about something but it was though they were speaking in code. She kept asking to see the ‘real’ him and he refused. After the argument, they sat on the couch kissing and staring deep into one another’s eyes. She blushed at the intimacy of the kiss. Over and over again, she heard him call her some sort of pet name, mean elks kay da or something like that. He spoke it with such tenderness, and her counterpart always seemed to melt a little when he called her that. 

The feed ended after about thirty minutes and Darcy sat quietly on her bed wondering why he would have taken her memories. He didn’t seem to be pretending in how much he cared. He truly seemed like he was working on the whole redemption arc thing. The man that walked through that video was not the mad man who had tried to conquer her planet. She found herself, against all logic beginning to like the version of Loki from the footage. What had changed him? If he was truly changed then why did he take her memories, why?

Loki sat invisible in the chair across from her bed. He had followed Thor to her room, hoping just to watch her sleep. He had other important things he could, probably should be doing to prepare for the upcoming battle, but he just wanted to reassure himself that she was indeed fine and settled in for the night. He watched as she spoke with the AI and grinned when she seemed impressed by his prowess. When the feed began to play, he watched her watch them. The footage seemed to be softening her heart somewhat and he found himself growing a tad bit more fond of the billionaire. She blushed and pulled the blanket higher when she watched them kissing. 

When the feed cut off she looked sad and pensive. More than anything, he wanted to give her back her memories. He had dissected the spell in his mind repeatedly. The only reason he could come up with the spell malfunctioning so badly was that it had countermanded the spell his mother had used to bring them together in the first place. A sorcerer had to be particularly careful when removing another’s magic from a third party, and this was precisely why. There were always unforeseeable complications. There was an off chance that if he and his mother worked together her memories could be restored, but he would not attempt anything until after the coming battle.

“JARVIS?” Darcy’s voice sounded so unsure, so unlike her normal energetic self. 

“Yes, Ms. Lewis?”

“If you put the umm, restored feed,” she blushed profusely, “on the TV in here, will my remote be able to fast-forward though it, like it would for a normal DVD?”

“Yes, you can also, pause, rewind, watch it in slow-motion, or stop it altogether, if you so choose.”

Darcy felt like her face was going to combust, “Okay, thanks J. Um, could you make sure no one else can ever see this?”

“Yes of course. Will there be anything thing else Ms. Lewis?”

“No. Thanks again JARVIS, I promise I won’t bug you any more tonight.”

“It is no trouble. Happy viewing.” Darcy could swear she heard a smirk in the automated voice.

 She grabbed her remote and fidgeted a bit before she started the feed. She wanted, no needed to know what happened to make him take her memories, and her last possible place to search for answers was in this part of the footage. She pulled the covers up even higher to right under her chin, squeezed her eyes shut, and mumbled “I’m about to watch my own sex tape.” She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and pushed play. It was odd to see herself acting so happy and confident with him. Not that she didn’t put on that act for everyone but she didn’t seem like she was pretending there. 

Anyone who knew her would label her as loud, boisterous, and full of herself. Her volume and her many layers of clothes were her sword and shield. When she pretended confidence loud enough and long enough, people believed it. In truth, she hid a terrible lack of self-confidence. She wasn’t petite like Jane or model skinny like Pepper. Her wide hips and big boobs came with a soft squishy belly no matter how much she worked out or how little she ate. 

He watched, as she seemed to retreat further under the covers. He couldn’t understand her reaction to the footage, he had hoped she would be aroused by it not… well not this, whatever it was. Her distress concerned him and he skimmed her thoughts. He was overwhelmed by her negative self-image. She had him fooled, he believed her to be comfortable with herself, but in truth, she was terribly insecure. He pulled back from her mind in shock. Her venomous anger at his ‘betrayal’ made far more sense in context. He wanted to stand and pace as his mind sorted out this dichotomy in her character. 

He was distracted by a moan. Darcy sat cocooned in her covers as her counterpart writhed and moaned, wanton beneath him. Oddly, the footage did not show his Jotun nature. He was glad of it; he had never turned blue during intimacy before he knew of his true heritage, and there had been no one else after his discovery or before Darcy. The only plausible reason he could conceive that it happened with her was that she truly knew and accepted him totally. He had not explained to her, he didn’t want to frighten her, but he had spoken his half of a bonding ceremony. She was his other half, his true mate.  

His true mate, the words rung in his mind. He was bonded to her, no matter her short lifespan, no matter that she presently rejected him; he would have her and no other the rest of his days. 

On screen, she moaned his name, in the bed, she shook her head, and tears glistened in her eyes. He could stand it no longer. He slowly and carefully skimmed her thoughts, she was roiling with emotion. She was surprised by his passion, confused how this could be the same man who tried to take over her planet, embarrassed by her own wanton moaning, and even a bit aroused by all of it. But her most devastating thought, the one that seemed to resonate loudest in her mind was how such a beautiful sexy man could want her… He felt an almost overwhelming urge to lay her out on the bed and worship her body with his mouth until she understood that it was he, that did not deserve her, not the other way around. He may not be able to do that physically but… a wicked smile crossed his face.

He carefully looked into her thoughts again, he found the small part of her mind that was aroused by the footage and began to play with it. He feed little thoughts into her mind about how his hands had moved, about how well their bodies had fit together, about how much he had enjoyed her body. On the bed, her eyes cleared and she grew slightly warm. She squirmed and loosened the covers. Pleased with her reaction, he upped the temperature in the room slightly. She removed the covers entirely. 

She was growing more and more turned on by the video. He was everything she had always desired in a lover, thorough, attentive, a little demanding, and a little rough. She watched herself come undone beneath him, and she couldn’t stand it anymore. The room was slightly warm, so she pulled off her t-shirt, tossed it at the chair across from her bed, paused the movie, and laid back on the bed. 

She couldn’t handle imagining _him_ yet, so she went with an imaginary faceless lover instead. Lying on her bed with her eyes closed, she imagined long lean hands trailing over her body. ‘Okay, starting to work’, she smiled. She allowed her hands to move slowly over her body the way her imaginary faceless lover’s might. Her hands trailed ever so lightly down her neck between the valley of her breasts, moving slowly. Her fingertips danced across her dusky pink areolas, her nipples tightening in anticipation. She lightly pinched one, and a soft gasp parted her full lips. She licked her fingertip and trailed it around and over the other nipple, imagining it was her faceless lover’s clever tongue. One hand continued pinching and teasing her nipples as the other wandered down her soft skin to her mound.        

He was careful with the magic he used, he did nothing that would leave a lasting effect on Darcy. Even in his desire for her, he remembered the dangers and sought to protect her from those that would seek to harm her as revenge against him. Thus, he had been distracted by these thoughts when her nightshirt hit him in the face. He quickly moved it so that she would not notice his invisible form, and found a very tempting sight awaiting him. She was laid out on her bed naked except for her underwear. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be trying to work something out in her mind, he could see her eyes moving rapidly under her eyelids. She huffed lightly tossing her head. She seemed to come to some sort of decision though and a smile crossed her full lips. Her hands were in motion teasing her body. The smell of her desire flooded his senses, and he held himself perfectly still. A soft gasp rent the silence of the room. He knew he should leave, that he should not intrude on the privacy of that moment, that observing her this way could be the final inch of rope with which he might hang himself, but damned if he could find the will to care. 

Her imaginary lover had begun to take form in her mind. He was lean and pale but still muscular, like a swimmer. He whispered filthy naughty things in her ear that made her moan aloud. He had an accent, maybe French, or Australian, or British… British, she decided. His voice was smooth and cultured but when he whispered those coarse words, it took on a raspy, rough quality. Her hand moved more urgently, pinching a little harder, and pulling slightly. The other slipped below her panties and dipped into her center. Her voice was barely above a whisper, “So wet…” and she moaned again. She pulled her hand out of her panties and yanked them off quickly so that she would have more room to move. Her hand immediately went back down between her widely splayed thighs. Her lower lip caught between her teeth as she imagined long fingers twisting together inside of her, as she stared into gorgeous blue… no green eyes. Bright green eyes that seem to stare right into her soul. She arched her back and groaned. She rolled her hips as her thumb came in contact with her clit. Her imaginary lover slipped down her body and buried his face between her thighs. She imagined all she could see was ginger curls… no blonde…no… umm, long black hair, yeah long black hair that was slick at some point, but was messy now from her hands. Her whole body seemed to flush with heat as her hand moved faster. 

Heat… She went still. Her eyes popped open, she reached over to her tea, and with her clean hand, she grabbed a large chunk of ice from the glass. She laid back and trailed the ice around her nipples; they tightened almost painfully. She hissed softly, as she moved it all over her body; her breath coming in short pants. Her imaginary lover was above her now, not so faceless anymore. Black hair, green eyes, high cheekbones, thin almost cruel lips... Her body stilled, suddenly she realized precisely who her fantasy man was. He looked the way he had in the footage from the attack on New York.

Hell, Freud would have a field day with her messed up head. The image of him in her mind had a twisted mischievous smirk. A wicked smile spread across her face in response. She could use his image to get off, it’s not like anyone else was going to know. He was just stuck in her mind because of the footage that was all; it wasn’t like she had feelings for the guy. Her hand returned to her aching core and she began to twist her fingers the same way she’d seen him do in the footage. “Ohmygod,” she whispered. That felt good. She brought the ice down and circled it around her clit. Her body was taught with pleasure and she began to pant lightly.

He watched her, his leather trousers growing tighter with her every gasp, her every whispered word. She removed her underwear and unknowingly put herself on display for him. The light of the TV illuminating her pale skin and the dark hair above her moist core. He longed to release his aching member and stroke himself to completion in time with the movement of her hand buried in her center. She stopped for a moment and then quickly pulled an ice cube from the glass on her bedside table. He swallowed back a groan as he watched the rivulets trail across her naked flesh. By the nine, she was temptation embodied. 

She went still and the energy in the room seemed to change. He held his breath, certain he’d been caught somehow. When she began again, he gave a silent sigh of relief. Curious about her abrupt stop and start he skimmed her mind again. She was fantasizing about him. He swallowed hard. His pulse sped up as he watched her fingers twist in clear imitation of his technique. Her whispered oath and use of the ice had his cock hard as a rock. He loosened his trousers and took himself in hand. He squeezed tightly trying to alleviate some of the ache. 

She trailed the ice coated in her own fluids all over her body as her teeth raked over her full bottom lip.

He brought the temperature in the room down slightly.

Her nipples pebbled and goose bumps rose on her skin. 

She was so far gone in her fantasy he wondered if she’d even notice if he…

She thought of him and the ice seemed appropriate. She reached over, grabbed another piece of ice, and gasped as she pressed it near her opening. Her hips rolled in time with her hand at her core.

He stroked himself as he watched her draw closer and closer to completion. He coaxed her mind to run the ice over the mostly healed bite mark. 

She dragged the ice slowly up her body, shivering and moaning softly as it melted against her hot skin. She brought it around her neck to cool her body and when it touched the tender skin of the bite mark, she gasped sharply. 

He stood silently, moving carefully, the only sound in the room was her gasps and the wet squishing of her fingers in her core. His hand swiped though some of the wetness pooling on the sheet below her. He wrapped his wet hand around his cock and fought the urge to possess her fully. He leaned over her and blew lightly on the wet trails left behind by the ice. Her body arched into the sensation and she released a loud moan. She was truly beautiful; her skin flushed deep pink and her lips bitten red. He sent a tiny jolt of magic to her clit.

“Holy shit!” Her hand began to move frantically between her thighs, her breasts shook with the force of her movements.

There was heat curling in his belly, and he felt his balls tighten. He clamped a hand over his own mouth to physically fight the urge to growl and moan along with her. His hand moved faster as he pumped in time with her. He sent another small jolt to her clit and she came around her fingers, her thighs clamping around her hands. She released a long loud moan that sounded suspiciously like his name. His hand moved frantically and he came in long ropey strands across the sheets beside her. Her eyes stayed shut as she shuddered through the aftershocks of her orgasm. He used a quick cleaning spell to remove the evidence of his presence, tucked himself back in his trousers, and sat back in the chair across from her.

“Hot damn,” she mumbled as she stood up to get her t-shirt and panties. She walked into the bathroom to clean up.

When she left the room he let out a long shaky breath, he needed her like oxygen. He was determined; she would live through this upcoming battle no matter the cost. He gave one last cursory look around and disappeared from the room.


	20. Chapter 20

He paced up and down the room muttering to himself. “Reckless, foolish, idiotic, moronic…” He paused and stared at the ceiling, “Wonderful, erotic…” he sighed heavily as he began to pace again, “And yet not nearly satisfying enough to have come so close to being caught.” His hands clenched into fists, he continued to grumble and mutter enough to wake the room’s sole occupant.      

“Wha, what whadduyowant?” Tony Stark sat up sharply. He squinted and rubbed his eyes. “Loki? What the hell, what are you doing in here? JARVIS, lights.” Tony studied the god before him, Loki looked manic. Tony did a quick review… no windows, it was an interior room. Mental sigh of relief. “Okay, we need to seriously talk about boundaries. It’s what… 3 a.m. That’s too damn early…” Loki still hadn’t responded, the god seemed to be wrapped up in whatever drama was going on in his own head. “Hey! Rudolph! What’s going on?” Loki’s head popped up. He looked frantic and frankly, that had Tony more than a little worried. “What’s the crisis?” Tony snapped his fingers at Loki. “A little input would be helpful here.”

“I am a bigger fool than I ever believed Thor to be.”

“Shit. What the hell did you do?” Tony asked it had only been a few hours since he had seen the god last. Loki had been present (though invisible to everyone but Tony), at the long meeting between the Avengers.

“I followed Thor to Darcy’s room after the meeting ended this evening.” Loki sat heavily on the chair across from Tony’s bed.

Tony’s eyes narrowed, he leaned over and reached into his bedside table and sat up. On his arm was a gauntlet from the Iron Man suit. Loki finally looked up and seemed to be aware of his surroundings when the gauntlet began to hum. Tony’s face was deadly serious. “What The Hell Happened?” he demanded.

“I have done a terrible disservice to Darcy. I have overstepped a boundary and I fear I may have done something she might find unforgivable.”

Tony crossed the room and held the gauntlet’s repulsor inches from the god’s temple. “You better clarify right now, or we’ll see just how immortal you are without a head.”

“She is unharmed.” Loki looked unsure of how to continue. “But I… she… she decided to follow your advice and watched the security footage you edited.”

“I’m still not seeing how that has anything to do with you doing something unforgivable.” Tony growled.

“After she watched that, she also watched part of the footage of my last few hours here with her.” Loki stood, ignoring the repulsor still pointed at him and began to pace.

“And?” Tony prompted impatiently.

Loki scrubbed at his face. “And she was… inspired… and I… I watched.”

Tony cocked his head as he processed the information. “She…?” Loki nodded. “And you watched?” Again, the god nodded. Tony began to laugh as the repulsor powered down. “Damn, that’s what got you all freaked out? You watched the woman you love, get off watching a video of you two having sex. Why would you think that’s unforgivable?”

Loki looked aghast, “I invaded her privacy.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Did she catch you?”

“Of course not!”

Tony sat heavily on the end of his bed. “You woke me at 3 in the damn morning, and you didn’t get caught? Unless you plan on telling her, I’d say you’re in the clear. And I’m going back to sleep.”

“Stark, this is not something that should be so lightly dismissed. I have erred and I find myself at a loss as to how I should make recompense.”

Tony scrubbed at his face with his bare hand. “Okay, quick little culture lesson to the Asgardian. Humans sometimes get horny and relieve themselves, and sometimes they even let their lovers watch. It’s a little kinky but fun. I got a feeling that if Darcy had her memories she would have absolutely no problem doing exactly that. She’s not real happy with you right now but there’s nothing to say that after you figure out how to fix her memories she won’t gladly run back into your waiting arms.” Tony huffed. “This is ridiculous. I should not be the one you go to for relationship advice.” He stood, removed the gauntlet from the Iron Man suit from his arm, walked over to a cabinet beside his bed, and pulled out a bottle of scotch. “I think I need brain bleach. That was way more about Darcy than I ever wanted to know. Want a drink?”

Loki nodded. “I value your input. You are the closet to family Darcy has here and I am glad she has your support.”

Tony poured them both a drink and they sat quietly for a while contemplating their glasses. Loki still looked sullen and for lack of a better option, Tony decided to change the subject. “So will Thor’s plan work?”

Loki looked up, nonplussed at Tony’s abrupt statement. “No, I do not believe it will be sufficient. Thanos cannot be brought down so simply. The Gauntlet I gave you is the only option. It is the only weapon capable of bringing him down.”

“I still don’t quite get how all that works. So I tell Cap that it’s Stark tech, and that it can read his bioelectrical signature aka it can read his mind and he can control it? How does it really work? I have to be able to give Steve a believable explanation for this. And how the hell am I supposed to hide it from Thor, and yet still use it in the battle?”

Loki took a deep breath, “Many of the weapons and other seemingly simple things from Asgard as labeled as magic by those here on Midgard… Earth. The technology is so far beyond your comprehension that it is simpler explained as such. But I shall endeavor to enlighten you. It is called the Infinity Gauntlet. There are six stones of power that fit onto the gauntlet.

The blue gem is the Mind Gem, it gives the user the power to greatly strengthen and enhance mental and psionic powers and access the thoughts and dreams of other beings.

The purple gem is the Space Gem, it allows the user to exist in any or all locations, move any object anywhere throughout reality and warp or rearrange space.

The yellow gem is the Reality Gem, it allows the user to fulfill wishes, even if the wish is in direct contradiction with scientific laws.

The red gem is the Power Gem, it accesses all power and energy that ever has or will exist.

The green gem is the Soul Gem, it allows the user to steal, control, manipulate, and alter souls, living or dead.

The orange gem is the Time Gem; it allows the user total control over the past, present and future. Also, it enables time travel; it can age and de-age beings.

In combination, the six Infinity Gems and the Infinity Gauntlet can make the bearer unassailable, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. In short… a true god.”

Tony sat quietly as Loki stood to pace.

“It was the weapon of Thanos, eons ago. Odin’s grandfather Buri, barely managed to seize it from Thanos before he was able to use it. Buri separated the gems from the gauntlet, placed the gauntlet in Asgard’s weapons vault, and cast the gems throughout the universe. Buri then cast a seemingly powerless Thanos into an abyss so vast that he would never be found, would never escape, and would never be remembered. Thanos lie moldering, plotting in that abyss for millennia. Unfortunately, a great fool came across that abyss and found Thanos, and the Mad Titan was not as powerless as Buri had believed. The fool was so mad for power, for vengeance that he freed Thanos. In return for his deed, the fool was made less than a slave to the Mad Titan’s whims.”

Loki walked back to his chair picked up the still mostly full glass of scotch. He downed the rest in one swallow. “In my lifetime, I have acquired three of the gems, and of course the gauntlet itself. It is highly probable that Thanos has found the other three.”

“Whoa, wait, so which three do we have?” Tony interrupted.

Loki gave him a dirty look for the interruption but answered anyway. “The Mind Gem, the Space Gem, and the Reality Gem.”

A sudden thought occurred to Tony, “The Reality Gem is the yellow one… Shit! That was the stone my mom left for me! How the hell did she get a hold…”

“Focus please, Tony. The Mad Titan is capable of using the gems without the gauntlet. We are not so fortunate. The Gauntlet is unruly; it desires ever to return to the hand of its master. The good Captain is the only one noble enough to be able to bring it to heel without being seduced by...”

“If you think so highly of Steve then why you did you douse him with hot coffee and push him down into the mud today?” Tony quirked an eyebrow. “A bit childish don’t ya think?”

Loki bristled. “He should not attempt to woo my…” he stuttered, “…Darcy.” He stalked over to the bottle of scotch, poured himself another glass and downed in one go. “Again, we are off subject, there other things of more importance we should discuss.”

“Like how you almost got me tased in the balls because you couldn’t keep your hands to yourself?” Tony smirked.

Loki’s jaw twitched, and he fairly growled, “Like how we should set about to saving your world, so that I may repair the damage to Darcy’s memory and therefore touch her as freely as I please.”

Tony shook his head and downed his own glass of scotch. “Alright, I brought those details on myself,” he muttered. “Okay so Thor’s hit ‘em with everything we got plan is out, what can we do?”

   “Thor’s plan is not wrong, it simply needs adjusting.” Loki rolled his eyes and together they began to formulate a viable plan.

*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*

The week following the test, leading to the actual first run of the Einstein-Rosen Bridge Machine was crazy busy. Darcy had mounds of data to input following the test run. Jane was split between spending time with Thor and micro managing the final plans for the first run.

Thor was about as subtle as a freight train, he kept asking Darcy how she was doing, and it took every ounce of her will power not to slap him for it. She’d probably only end up with a sore hand anyway. After about the 50th time she begged Tony to call Thor off.

There were a flurry of Avenger meetings and so for a few days the guys were hardly seen around the labs. In some ways, it was a relief in some ways not so much…

“Darcy, have you seen the hardcopy of the spreadsheet on the particle data from the second dry run?” Jane looked almost frantic.

“Yes, it’s in the file cabinet under ‘Second Dry Run’, I put it back there this morning after the last time you looked it over.” Darcy rolled her eyes. Jane had become slightly obsessed with an anomaly that she and Erik had previously dismissed. Darcy took off her glasses, and scrubbed at her face in frustration. The first full run was scheduled to happen in less than 18 hours, they had all been up for the last 36 hours working on the final preparations, and Darcy was pretty sure that unless Thor came and physically dragged Jane to bed, nobody was sleeping until this was over.

“Hey, when’s the last time you left the lab?” Tony’s voice startled Darcy.

She slipped her glasses back on and scowled. “Um, yesterday afternoon? Maybe, I don’t know.”

Tony looked over a Jane. “Okay so is there anything else that really needs to be done, or is she just overanalyzing?”

Darcy thought about it, “Well, from what both Erik and Jane have said, there could be some valid concerns about this anomaly, but for my part, I’d say you’re a freakin genius and you’ve been over this with a fine tooth comb, and if you say it’ll run right, then it’ll run right.”  

“Aww, your confidence in me gives me goose-bumpy feels, Kiddo.” He ruffled her hair.

“Dammit Tony!” she growled as she tried to straighten her messed up hair.

“Okay, people, we’re gonna call it a wrap for today. The run is scheduled for 10 am tomorrow, so we need everyone there by seven. Everybody go home and get a good night’s sleep so we’re all bright-eyed in the morning.” Tony announced loudly.

Jane began to protest but Tony would hear none of it. “Look, if these people don’t rest before we run the machine there are going to be mistakes. And with something this big we really can’t afford mistakes.”

The lab techs and interns hurried out while Tony and Jane argued. “But there was an anomaly in the second…”

“Yes, in the second dry run and in all the data that followed. We’ve gone over this, you had to accommodate for the alignment of Ursa Major. It’s going to be fine. You signed off on that detail two months ago, and since then so have a dozen other brilliant scientists, myself included. It’s going to be fine.” The billionaire reasoned, both Tony and Darcy could see Jane’s resolve weakening.

“Jane, are you free to dine with me this evening?” Thor stood in the doorway, a bright hopeful smile on his face. Darcy chuckled, ‘and the blonde god hits it straight outta the park!’ Jane turned a soft smile to Thor and left without any further protest.

Darcy slumped in her chair. “Thanks Tony. I am so tired; I think we all needed an intervention.”

“A little birdy told me that she’d been slave-driving you all for almost 36 hours straight.”

“I know she means well, she’s just anxious that this goes off without a hitch.”  

“That’s not going to happen. According to Thor, the big bad that Loki warned us about is definitely coming.” Tony stared at his hands, “I don’t want you there tomorrow.”

Darcy sat up straighter. “No way, you don’t get to say that. I am going to be there tomorrow.”

“Technically I’m your boss and I can make you stay here.” Tony spoke to her as though she were a child that was protesting bedtime.

“Um, no you can’t, and you won’t! I deserve to be there just as much as Jane and all of the rest of you!” Darcy faltered.

Tony took a deep breath, “I didn’t want to say this, but really you’re not needed there, you’ll likely only get in the way…”

Whatever else he was going to say was cut off as she slapped him… hard. “Hell no! I’m gonna stop you right there with your ‘I’m the man and I have to protect you’ bullshit. You are not going to insult me and belittle me to make me not want to be there or feel like I don’t deserve to be there just you can keep me safe. I can take care of myself thank you very much!”

Tony stood up, working his jaw as he growled, “This isn’t a mugger that you can take down with your measly little taser Darcy. This guy that’s coming, his sole purpose is to kill, there’s no reasoning with him, there’s no running from him or hiding from him. There’s a strong likelihood that none of us on the front lines will survive. He’s coming whether we want him to or not, we’re simply hoping to control the devastation, by controlling the when and where.” Tony was in her face, angrier than she’d ever seen, “You can take care of yourself? As if,” he snorted. “Because you did such a great job when Loki decided to rape you and take your memories.”

Darcy paled, “That was a low blow, even for an asshole like you.” She shook her head, “I already told you, I’m going to be there tomorrow, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.” She turned to leave, and though her back was turned, Tony could hear the catch in her voice. “I know you’re trying to protect me, but you got a shitty way of doing it.” She left the lab without looking back.

Tony sat heavily in her chair. “I knew that wouldn’t work. She’s too damn stubborn.”

Loki materialized beside him. “It matters not. I shall see to her safety. All of the preparations have been made. We are as ready as we ever shall be. On the morrow there shall be war.”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this turned into a beast. Because the next three chapters are going to cover the final battle, and I don't want to leave everyone with week-long major cliffies I won't post them all until I've finished with all three then I will post them back to back. 
> 
> Unless you guys are ok with week-long major cliffies. I don't know, it takes me at least a week (usually) to write about 3000 words so I'll let you the readers and reviewers decide.


	21. Sometimes you have to lose a battle...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will post my chapters three days in a row...  
> There will be cliffhangers, I will not guarantee that anyone lives. If the suspense is too much you can wait until Tuesday. I will post 22 and 23 at 10 am central time Monday and Tuesday.

Darcy left the building for a while, got a latte, and a sandwich. Tony had been a total asshat but she was fairly sure he didn’t mean it. She returned to tower about eight that evening. She couldn’t get Tony’s words out of her head. She sat heavily on her couch.

“Dammit,” she muttered. “JARVIS,” she called.

“Yes, Ms. Lewis?”

“You monitor Tony’s vital signs at all times, right?”

“Yes, though I’m uncertain why you ask.”

“Well I was thinking, a lie detector is a machine that detects a change in heart rate, blood pressure, and how fast or slow the subject is breathing… And since you’ve been monitoring that stuff on Tony for several years, and you’ve been there when you know he’s obviously told some lies I was wondering if you could cross reference all that data and then tell me by that baseline if he was lying this afternoon?” Darcy sped through her explanation.

“I cannot comply with your request, Ms. Lewis. I am programmed to keep Mr. Stark’s private matters confidential.”

“Oh, come on JARVIS; don’t make me hack you again. Look, I’m already pretty sure he was lying when he said…” she faltered, shook her head and started again. “He said Loki ‘decided to rape me and take my memories’ but something about the way he said it was so fake. I just want to know what’s going on here. Please J?”

The AI was silent for a moment, “Based on the parameters you’ve outlined, yes, he was lying when he made that statement.”

Darcy hopped off the couch and began to pace. “Ok, so either he lying because he just wanted to piss me off, and/or it could have been a lie because he knew personally that what happened was not rape. JARVIS, you’re sure Tony hasn’t seen the part of the footage that included me and Loki having sex?”

“Positive. No one has viewed that portion of the footage except you.”

“Okay, so have you noticed Tony acting a little out of the ordinary lately?”

“Again, I must remind you, Ms. Lewis, that I am programmed to ensure Mr. Stark’s privacy is kept private.”

“Come on J, it’s not like I’m gonna run out to the National Enquirer, and blab about Tony acting weird. I’m just trying to figure out why he would spend almost two weeks trying to convince me that Loki’s not so bad and then turn around and say something like that.” The AI remained silent.

“Okay then how about this, I’m going to tell you some of the weirdness I’ve personally observed and then you can tell me if it’s going on when he’s alone too. When Tony talks to himself when he’s reasoning out a problem it tends to be in broken sentences, partial ideas, but I’ve seen him lately having whole conversations with himself.”

“Yes, I have observed occurrences of that as well.”

“I think he’s talking with Loki.”

“I would register Mr. Odinson’s presence in the building if that were the case.”

“But, he’s got magic. He’s the god of lies, of mischief, of chaos. Maybe he has some kind of way to circumvent you. You register a person’s presence by visual, heat signature, and sound right?” Darcy was working on a theory…

“Yes, however…”

“Jane said ‘Magic is just science we don’t understand yet.’ What if he has some kind of cloaking ability? We already know he was able to fool you the week he was here. On the footage he doesn’t look like Loki, he looks totally different.” Everything began to click, in her mind.

“JARVIS, I want to see the footage Loki’s last hour here with me.”

“Ms. Lewis, I do not recommend re-watching that portion of the footage. There is…” The AI attempted to prevaricate.

“Show me.” Darcy ordered.

Darcy sat on her couch as her TV popped on. She and Loki lie entangled on the bed together. Her counterpart was sound asleep and Loki lay one his side watching her. One hand traveled down her spine and she shivered in her sleep. He grinned at her and leaned over planting tiny kisses across her bare shoulders.

Suddenly his spine went stiff and he arched away from her, their bodies untangling as he lay on his back. His eyes rolled back in his head and his arms contorted painfully until they appeared almost bound beneath his back. She slept beside him completely unaware of his pain. He struggled against whatever unseen foe held him captive. A shallow cut wound its way across his chest, blood pooling in the dips and crevices of his lean musculature. His mouth stayed tightly shut though she could see his obvious pain. He shook his head forcefully. His head wrenched to the side as though he’d been struck and blood began to dribble from his split lip.

“No,” he growled quietly. “I will aide you no longer.” Darcy had to turn up the volume. Somehow, he was being tortured by… who knows what… and yet he was still mindful that she lay beside him asleep?

His abdomen caved as though he took a blow to the stomach. “Again, I think you overestimate my worth, my skills. I can no more get into Asgard than you can. This is becoming tedious, you ask the same questions, torture me, I give you the same answers. Perhaps we should switch it up a bit, you give me the knife, I’ll torture you, and we can see if you can find the Gems any faster.” His neck stretched as his head pulled hard to the side. “Either way you’ll receive no help from me.”

“Do what you will to me but I am done with you, I am free and shall remain so.” He hissed and then his lips curled back and she could see how tightly his teeth were grit in pain. He thrashed slightly as a cut appeared on his abdomen. The cut deepened and the blood began to flow in earnest. Blood bubbled from his lip as he rasped, “You’ll not see another damn stone! I will find the rest myself and kill you and him before I let you harm her.”

He made a gargled sound of pain as the cut pulled and twisted in his gut. Tears coursed down her face as she watched him writhe in torment. He thrashed for a few more moments and she was just about to turn it off when his whole body went limp.

He rolled away from her and stood. He leaned heavily against her wall, one hand gripping his wound and the other moved to magically remove the blood from her sheets. She watched as his smaller wounds quickly knit back together. He held the ragged edges of his wounded abdomen together as he conjured a long wrap bandage. He wrapped it around himself wincing when the movement jarred his wound. He tied it off and stared at her sleeping form. “I swear no harm shall come to you, min elskede. I shall make certain of it.” His voice was so quiet Darcy had to rewind the footage and turn the volume all the way up to hear him.

There was a heavy knocking on her apartment door in the footage. She could hear Tony’s voice calling for her.

Loki looked up sharply as her counterpart stirred on the bed. His clothes magically appeared, hiding his wounds. She rolled over groaning as she did. He looked at her with such longing. He seemed concerned about her and when he asked if she was well, Darcy could hear the pain in his voice. Her counterpart stretched and the sheet slipped down her body. Darcy could tell her counterpart had enjoyed every moment of the time they had spent together. He flinched as a pain laced through his abdomen but he asked if she needed to be healed of her bruises. Her counterpart was proud of her bruises and floundered for her glasses, as he seemed to debate about something. As she rolled back over to him, his casual clothes became his Asgardian leather, armor, and helmet. Her counterpart seemed startled by his appearance and his face hardened.

“I regret this.” He used magic to knock her unconscious, told JARVIS to unlock the door, used magic again to make sure her modesty was covered, and disappeared.

Darcy turned off the feed. How could she not tell he had been injured, how had she slept through that?

She stood and paced through her small apartment.

Something truly terrible was coming. Something that could summon Loki’s consciousness anytime it wanted, and could seriously injure him without ever physically touching him.

Tony was in contact with Loki, and Loki knew who and what was coming.

Loki was trying to protect her. He removed her memories to protect her.

Tony probably said those awful things because he was trying to protect her, he might have even been prompted to say them by Loki himself.

With these thoughts and many more running rampant through her mind it was several hours before she could even think of sleeping. It was well after one in the morning before she finally fell into a fitful and restless sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When she finally woke the next morning, it was to the sound of someone pounding on her door and shouting at her. “Gimme a minute!” she shouted in return. She rolled over put on her glasses and gasped in shock when she saw the time. It was twenty after 9, her alarm never went off. She jumped out of bed cursing JARVIS for being a traitor as she hurried to the door.

Jane stood there looking angrier than Darcy had ever seen. “Thor left without me. None of my alarms went off, I think JARVIS messed with them, Happy’s got Pepper held almost prisoner up in the penthouse, and now JARVIS won’t unlock the elevator or the door to the stairwell. I don’t think we’ll be able to get out of the tower.”

“Oh, hell no!” Darcy growled. “Come with me. You still got your jeep down in the garage right?” Jane nodded. Darcy ran back into her room and got dressed in a hurry. “I got this. I can’t do anything about Pepper but I think I can get us out.” She pulled out her laptop and pounded away on the keyboard for a few minutes, muttering all the while.

“Yes!” she slammed her laptop shut, grabbed Jane by the hand, and began to run through her apartment as she explained. “Come on we only have maybe ten minutes before JARVIS is back up and running. We’ll have to take the stairs cause I couldn’t get the elevators back up but I think we can do it!”

They raced through the halls, to the stairwell, and down as fast as they could. Darcy kept checking her watch as they ran. Thirty flights of stairs was no small trek. They made it to the garage in about six minutes time, climbed into Jane’s jeep, and raced through the garage only to find several security guards blocking the exit.

Jane looked at Darcy. Darcy held out her hand and laughed, “Let’s do this, Thelma and Louise style. GO!” she urged.

Jane took her hand with a smile and pushed the accelerator to the floor. The guards scattered as Jane’s jeep crashed through the barricade and out into the road. They laughed as they sped through traffic, and made it to Central Park with about ten minutes to spare.

Jane bullied their way past the SHEILD agent guarding the edge of the test site and when they got to the machine, Darcy heard Tony curse. There was less than a minute on the big digital display. Tony came clunking around the corner in his full Iron Man suit. Darcy looked around and realized that none of the interns or other scientists they had worked with previously were onsite. They were surrounded by heavily armed SHEILD agents.

Tony voice sounded metallic from inside the suit. “Dammit, I told JARVIS to keep them at the Tower.” His faceplate lifted and he scowled at the two of them. “They gotta go; Thor and the rest of the team won’t be able to focus if they see either of them.”  

They both began to protest as the Einstein-Rosen Bridge machine began to hum and Tony lifted one hand. “You can’t be here.” He looked over Darcy’s shoulder. “We don’t have time for this; take care of them, now.”

Darcy was about to give him an earful when a strong arm wrapped around her waist. She and Jane were crushed together in the grip of someone far taller and lifted off their feet. “Close your eyes.” A voice growled in her ear.

There was a terrible disorienting feeling and a rush of wind and when Darcy opened her eyes, they were in Tony and Pepper’s Penthouse apartment. Jane was pushed forward, and the voice of the guy still holding Darcy spoke to Happy. “Keep Dr. Foster here as well.”

Before Darcy could protest or even turn to look at who held her, the guy’s other arm wrapped around her as well and he whispered in her ear, “Close your eyes again.” The wind rushed around them once more, and Darcy felt her stomach lurch at the disorienting feeling.

When it stopped, Darcy opened her eyes and they were in an empty corner of her favorite coffee shop. He gently set her down and she turned to see who it was that had grabbed her.

“Loki!” she stumbled away from him.

He inclined his head in a slight bow, “At your service my lady. Your wish is my command.”

She stuttered in surprise, “What in the… why did you… I knew you were working with Tony! Why? Not even two years ago you were trying to take over the planet!”

“Any realm you inhabit is a realm worth saving.” He smiled crookedly at her.

“Bullshit. You don’t give a damn about Earth, tell me the truth, why are you really doing this?” she demanded.

He cut his eyes at her, “Fine, you’re right I don’t give a damn about this realm, but you do, so I will save it for your sake and try to keep you safe as well. That is why we’re here now.”

“Dammit, I’m not some fragile little thing! I know I’m not a superhero or a god, but I can help! Take me back there right now!”

“I am afraid that is one of the few things I will not do.”

“Fine then give me back my memories!” she demanded.

“That I cannot do,” heavy regret marred his features. “I made a mistake, I attempted to remove the evidence of my magic from you, and somehow your memories came with the magic. I’m still trying to figure out how it happened so I can fix it properly.”

Something else was going on but she couldn’t figure out just quite what. In the distance, there was the sound of a explosive blast. Darcy ran through the shop to the windows and looked out. He slowly followed her, he was already aware of what she’d see. Foot traffic seemed to be only coming away from the direction of Central Park. She ran back towards him, “Take me back there dammit, my friends, your brother, they could be dying! We… I have to do something!” she stopped just short of throwing herself on him. She still had some dignity.

He shook his head and for just a moment, she could see the magic hiding his true form. The people around them saw a handsome but unrecognizable well-dressed man in a business suit, while Darcy saw the man she knew. He was in his full battle regalia, horned helmet, and all. “You are doing something; you are staying here safe from harm. I have cloaked this shop we are safe for the time being.”

The lights flickered, as there were several more blasts each seemingly closer than the last. The ground rocked beneath her feet and Darcy stumbled. Loki reached for her, “I have not taken you far enough. My cloaking spell will not protect us if the building collapses. Come I shall find a safer place.”

Darcy pulled away from him. “Don’t you see? There is no safe distance away! I should be there helping, not running like a coward!”

He grabbed her by the elbows, pulled her close, and hissed. “Running doesn’t not make one a coward. Sometimes it is the wisest and safest action. I only seek to protect you!”

“You can’t protect me from everything! I…”

Something rocketed past the coffee shop, blowing out the windows in the process. Darcy screamed as Loki shielded her from the flying glass with his own body. Another explosion went off, the ground rocked harder this time, the lights went out, and the emergency lights popped on. In the dim lighting, his face was fierce. “I can and I will.” He crushed her to him in a bruising kiss. She struggled against him for a heartbeat before her arms wrapped around him too.

It was midday but the smoke and shadows dimmed the small coffee shop. They were surrounded by chaos, people screaming, debris falling, but finally something felt right. A small part of her heart seemed to sigh. Together they were the eye of the storm. He was the god of chaos, and in the middle of it all, she was his anchor, his peace. Their mouths tangled, their breath mingled, their hands roamed. When she finally pulled back, her heart raced and she felt something stir deep in her heart. She began to understand some of what had drawn her to him. There was a naked vulnerability in his eyes, a raw hope. She swallowed around a lump in her throat. “Loki, I…”

Suddenly he stiffened, his gaze was far away, and his hand went to the side of his helmet. His already pale complexion lost all color. “No…” it came out as an anguished whisper. He stumbled back away from her, and his form grew semitransparent. She reached for him and his image flickered out altogether.

“Loki!” she called out, fear causing her voice to shriek. He was gone. She turned to run to the door and he reappeared in front of her, his face ashen. He held in his hands a large golden metal glove. It was slightly bloody.

He fell to his knees before her and whispered, “The Avengers have fallen.”


	22. ... or two...

_He fell to his knees before her and whispered, “The Avengers have fallen.”_

She sank to her knees in front of him; certain she’d heard him wrong. “What did you say?”

His voice was raw, “Central Park was a desolate warzone.”

Darcy’s hand flew to her face as what he’d said sunk in. “Fallen… as in…?” she couldn’t bring herself to say the words. Loki nodded. “All of them?”

Again, he nodded. “The Captain, Hulk, and… and…” his voice broke... “…Thor.”

“But SHIELD is still there, surely they can…” Darcy pleaded, tears in her eyes.

Loki shook his head, “No, they are all gone Darcy. There is no one left to stop him. We could go to Vanaheim. Perhaps he will not venture there for a while and we can pretend to have a life of peace until he does.” He stood as he spoke. “Stark told me to use this, he managed to get this to me just before he… before he…” Darcy began to cry as Loki spoke about Tony.

He turned the glove over and inhaled sharply in surprise. “They managed to take the other stones…”

A distinctly non-human sounding machine flew past the coffee shop. The explosions had stopped; there was a lull in the fighting. The aliens seemed to be looking for something.

He clutched the glove to his chest and began to pace frantically as he muttered. “It is complete… I could…” He turned to her; a fearsome light gleamed in his narrowed eyes. “It is complete, the only weapon in all the Nine Realms that could be used against him and they completed it before they... I could set it all right. I could restore life to them, destroy Thanos, I could… I could...” Something had lit in him and it alarmed Darcy. She stood slowly and began to back away from him.

He saw her movement and rushed to her, caught her by the waist, and pulled her to him. “If you were to ask it of me Darcy you would be my queen. With this gauntlet I would conquer all who oppose me; you would be the highest goddess in all the realms and I would be the god of all.” There was a ragged edge to his tone.

She shook her head, tears pricking the edges of her vision, “Loki…” her voice seemed small and timid. The mad look in his eyes lifted some as she spoke. “Hey, I’m pretty sure, that when I fell in love with you, you weren’t a bat-shit crazy megalomaniac. I don’t want to be a queen. Right now, I’d be happy with you kicking that Thanos guy’s ass, and saving our friends. Tony…” she choked on his name. “…Tony died to get you that gauntlet. You need to use it. Okay?” He still seemed on edge. “Loki, you still here?” She gently laid her hand on his cheek. “Hey Magic Man?”

His whole body shuddered, he dropped the gauntlet and stumbled back away from her and it. “I cannot… It is not a weapon for one such as I. I’ve held it for mere minutes and its loathsome power began to sway me. I have too many demons. I cannot wield it. We have to find someone who can. Someone strong, noble, and wise.”

“We don’t have time for a talent search, Loki. You’re gonna have to be the one! You are all of those things already you just have to believe in yourself. Look, I’ll carry it till we get there, then you put it on, fix the guys, kill Thanos, and then you take it off. Five minutes and you’re done. It’ll work, it has too.” She reasoned as she heard another alien machine pass by.

“It is far too dangerous; I’ve not kept you here away from him merely to allow you to risk your life now.”

“At this point we’re all Earth’s got. We have to do this and we have to do it now.” She pleaded.

“And if in destroying the monster I become one far worse?” he asked softly.

They stood in the middle of a ruined city, in a coffee shop with shattered windows and no power, surrounded by frightened civilians. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Not gonna happen. You’re freakin tough as nails and I’ll be there for you. I won’t let you go super-villain.”

There was a catch in his voice, “And why would you do that? Why would you willingly endanger yourself like that?”

“Because, stupid, at some point you’re gonna figure out how to fix my memory and I’m gonna realize just how much I love you. So till then I gotta be careful with you. I don’t want you getting hurt or dying until I get a chance to figure all this out.” She stepped closer her body almost flush with his, the gauntlet lay on the floor between them. She stared at his ornate armor; her voice was a barely a whisper, “Besides, there’s been some other stuff I’ve seen and I think I’m beginning to understand why I fell in love with you.”

He hooked his finger under her chin and made her look at him. “Darcy, I would travel to hell and back for you, but I beg of you, do not ask this of me. I am not strong enough to bear this burden. I will be corrupted by it.”

She took both of his hands in her own. “I watched the last hour of footage before you took my memories.” He blanched and tried to pull away but she held tight to his hands. “I saw what they did to you. I saw how you protected me, how you defended me. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for. I did a lot of thinking last night and I think I got this one figured out. You were so angry when you fell from the Bi-Frost. You landed in the middle of some folks who wanted to fuck shit up, and you gloried in it. At some point, they began doing stuff you weren’t comfortable with and then they began to force you to do those things. I saw some of the footage of New York. You were crazy as hell and your eyes were _blue_. I think you were just as controlled by Thanos as Barton and Selvig were controlled by you.” This time when he pulled away, she let him go. His actions confirmed her theory. “You never told anyone.” She reached for him. “Why, why didn’t you tell someone, anyone?”

His voice was harsh and cutting, “And who would I tell? Who would have sympathy for the disgraced prince? In a warrior culture, who would have compassion for the weak fool who released the Mad Titan and then was enslaved by him? Oh, I know; Thor would have thrown himself at Odin’s feet begging for mercy on my behalf. Perhaps Sif or the Warriors Three may have petitioned for…”

“Shut up! Shut up! Forget about the past. None of that matters anymore. You are so twisted up about that shit that you don’t see how people can still care about you no matter what you think about yourself! You are so ready to believe the worst about everyone, especially about yourself. I know the truth, I have seen what you’re capable of, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and yet I believe in you. Right here, right now I know that you can do this, you are the only one who can. Unless you want me to do it. I’m tired of this; you’re sulking while people are dying. Either you man up and do it or I will.”

He sneered at her, his lips curling in anger. “You know not what you ask. If I am truly turned and corrupted while wearing the gauntlet there will be no one capable of stopping me. I will bring Ragnarok, and enjoy every terrible moment of it. But you choose to push me to the brink, so I shall go. As my Lady commands.” He gave her a mocking bow and picked up the gauntlet from the floor. A shiver of revulsion passed over him when his skin made contact with it.

He quickly grabbed her and transported them to Central Park. The trip was seconds but with her eyes open it was the most disorienting thing she’d ever experienced. Seeing everything move so quickly, even moving through solid objects. Her stomach was twisted in knots and her knees were weak, it was no wonder he had told her to close her eyes before.

Loki stepped away from her, knelt down, placed the gauntlet on the grass in front of him, took off his helmet, placed it beside him, then his hands were glowing green, and he was muttering. When her stomach settled, she hissed at him. “Okay Snape, I get that you’re pissed at me but you gotta warn me before you just apparate us around. Cause next time I might just puke on your boots.”

He glared at her. “Be silent and allow me to finish this spell.” He looked back down at his hands and she stuck her tongue out at him. “I saw that.” There was a tiny quirk in the corner of his mouth.

He was suppressing a smile. She took a chance and moved closer standing behind him so she could watch. His hands moved in a graceful, intricate pattern; he seemed to almost be weaving the green magic. “So whatcha doin’?” She whispered as she leaned over and placed her chin on his shoulder. “Is it another one of those cloaking spells you were talking about earlier?”

He shook his head. “No, I relocated the cloaking spell I cast earlier so it will cover us here. I am trying to create a magical barrier over my skin so that the gauntlet will have less effect on me.”

Darcy smiled, “See I knew you’d be the right guy for the job. Nobody else could do that. They’d just have to fight the gauntlet’s influence with plain old willpower.”

The green magic coalesced and looked like a misty green glove. Loki pushed his hand into it and it absorbed into his skin. He turned his wrist and flexed his long fingers. Wholly inappropriate thoughts flooded Darcy’s mind and she blushed. The man’s hands were damn sexy. ‘Focus Darcy, bad time for sexy thoughts.’ She stepped away from him hoping her flushed cheeks would cool. “So what do we do now?” her voice squeaked a bit.

He stood as he continued to move and twist his hand and arm. “We do nothing. I will ‘apparate’ as you called it, and gather the bodies of your fallen friends. You shall remain here in this copse of trees, where you are safe, the cloaking spell will hide you from everyone with the exception of myself. After I gather the bodies of the Avengers, I shall put on the gauntlet and revive them. You will stay here under the cloaking spell with them because they will be weak and vulnerable for a time after they are revived. And I then I will destroy Thanos and all those who are a threat to this realm.”

She nodded, and swallowed sharply. “You can do this. I know you can. You’re gonna come out of this one the hero.”

He rolled his eyes, “I will be fortunate to come out of this one alive.” He looked so defeated, as though he’d already accepted the fact that he would die.

“Loki,” she tried to make her voice sound confident. “You’re going to live. You have every reason too. Please don’t be worried or afraid. I know you can do this.” She walked boldly up to him, reached up, tangled her hands in his hair, and pulled him down; kissing him with every bit of emotion she could, hoping desperately that he would understand what she couldn’t yet put into words.

His arms wrapped around her pulling her close, he stood straight and tall, his grip pulling her up off her feet. Her legs wrapped around his lean hips and his hand slid under her butt, effortlessly supporting her. Through his armor and all the layers of leather, she could feel how desperately he still wanted her. He was smiling she could feel it in his kiss. He held her tighter and began kissing along her jawline. She moaned as he came to a sensitive spot right below her ear where her jaw met her neck. He bit and sucked breaking the capillaries below her skin. “Ohmygod,” she whined as her body responded to him.

She pulled away from him resting her forehead on his. He had a wicked smirk on his face. “Yes, yes I am.”

“Don’t brag.” She panted

“It’s not bragging if it’s true.” He smiled but there were tears in his eyes.

“We’ve had this conversation before…” he nodded. “After this is all over, you’re gonna figure out how to fix my memory and I’ll remember too. I’ll remember everything. I…”

An inhuman roar shook the park.

“Damn…” Loki’s head dropped to Darcy’s shoulder.

“What the hell was that?” Darcy squeaked.

“I fear we’ve come to the end of Thanos’ patience. He knows I took the gauntlet. He allowed The Other to search for it but now he will tear this realm asunder to find it.” He carefully set Darcy on her feet. “Stay here no matter what you hear or see, stay here.” He snatched up his helmet and put it on.

She nodded but he saw a hesitation in her stance. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to deal with her reluctance. “Stay here,” he demanded again.

He disappeared and reappeared with the bodies of Agent Barton and Romanov under each arm he set them down carefully and disappeared again. In rapid succession, he brought back Steve, Bruce, several agents she was unfamiliar with, and a big guy with an eye patch that she knew by reputation was Nick Fury. His last trip he returned with Tony. Tony was still in the Iron Man suit and Loki was levitating him.

He stopped and took a deep breath. “Stark’s neck was broken; reviving him may prove far more difficult. Thanos simply removed the souls of the others.” Loki picked up the gauntlet.

Darcy looked around, “Where’s Thor?”

“I could not retrieve him.” Loki looked angry beyond reason.

“Why? What happened?”

“They have him. He is not dead, as I had thought. They know I have the gauntlet. They’re hoping I will trade the gauntlet for Thor. They’re torturing him.” Loki shook his head and put on the gauntlet. “I will retrieve him.” His body tensed and shook as a sickly golden glow radiated out from the gauntlet and then enveloped him. He fell to his knees and his body convulsed slightly.

Darcy ran to his side.

“Do not touch me.” He ground out. “The gauntlet recognizes that I am not its master. I must subdue it and force it to answer to me.” She could hear the pain in each word.

A green glow pierced through the gold and began pushing the sickly glow back towards the gauntlet. Loki’s teeth were grit in concentration. The green overwhelmed the gold and Loki stood. There was a different air to him; he radiated power and authority.

He turned and waved the gauntlet over the fallen. They came to with a gasp. They lay on the ground blinking and trying to get their bearings. Loki walked over to Tony, removed Tony’s helmet, and placed the gauntlet beneath Tony’s neck. Loki’s eyes closed in concentration, his arm shook slightly as Tony’s eyes popped open, and the billionaire gasped in pain.

“What happened?” Tony’s eyes were wild as he tried in vain to sit up.

Loki grinned at him. “You were dead; I revived you. I believe that the customary response is ‘Thank you Loki’”

“What the hell do you mean I was dead?” Tony asked in confusion.

Darcy moved to sit next to Tony as Loki propped Tony in the suit in a sitting position against a tree. “Hey, how you feeling?”

“Awful, weak as a kitten and I can’t seem to get my limbs to cooperate.” Tony groaned.

“You’ve been mostly dead all day.” Darcy grinned.

“Yeah right, next you’ll tell you had Miracle Max make a pill for me.”

Darcy threw herself on Tony and began to cry. “Hey, no tears on the Arc Reactor. You don’t want to short circuit me.”

“Don’t be an ass; I thought you were dead and gone. Loki said your neck was broken and he wasn’t sure if he could fix you.” She sat up and swiped at her tears. “I am so glad you’re okay.”

“I see you and Loki have been getting along well.” She gave him an odd look. He nodded at her neck. “He marked you again.”

Darcy’s hand flew up to the side of her neck. She blushed profusely as she squeaked, “Yeah I guess we’re doing pretty good.”

“Where is Rock of Ages?” Tony asked.

“He was right…” Darcy looked and Loki was gone. She jumped up and ran beyond the copse of trees, and into the clearing. She could hear Tony calling her back. Loki was facing off with a giant purple guy and a super pale human sized guy mostly covered by a black cloak. T Loki held his right arm slightly behind himself hiding the gauntlet in the folds of his cloak.

“So the bastard prince has returned.” The cloaked guy hissed.

Loki hardly looked at the smaller guy but addressed the big purple guy. “Thanos, you and The Other will release my brother and leave this realm now!” Loki demanded.

“The arrogance of the Asgardians. Yet you are not truly an Asgardian are you, foundling.” Thanos’ voice was huge. Like the sound of an oncoming train or a hurricane. “Will you submit and return what is mine or shall I have The Other break you again? It would so much more enjoyable this time, what with your audience watching.” He gestured to Darcy and the copse of trees behind her that hid the Avengers. “I could kill your brother, or perhaps I could break the girl and you could watch.”

Loki glanced over his shoulder and saw Darcy at the edge of the tree line. “You will do nothing of the sort. You will return Thor to me and I shall grant you a merciful death or you can fight me and when you lose, I will destroy you.” Loki raised his right arm and aimed it at Thanos.

Thanos laughed, it was a terrible sound, cruel beyond measure. “You cannot believe you have truly mastered my gauntlet?”

“I have and I will… I will” and Loki began to chuckle. “I will destroy you with…” he threw his head back and laughed out loud. “I can’t continue this ridiculous façade.” Loki was nearly in hysterics as he walked over to Thanos and The Other. He was nearly doubled over in laughter as he patted The Other on the back with the gauntleted hand.

“Loki, NO!” Darcy screamed and ran towards him. His left hand flew out and his green magic encased her. She couldn’t move or speak but she could see and hear everything perfectly.

Thanos looked at her like a scientist inspecting an insect. “So much fire and life. There is more in her than meets the eye.She would make an excellent sacrifice to my mistress don’t you think, godling?”

Loki looked at her with a wicked gleam in his eye. “No, I would like to keep this one. She has become an amusing plaything. She is but a short-lived human, your mistress Death will claim her soon enough.”

“Why did you revive the heroes?” The Other asked crossly.

“Because what is a grand betrayal, without an audience.” Loki bowed like a showman.


	23. ... to win the war.

_“Because what is a grand betrayal, without an audience.” Loki bowed like a showman._

They all laughed. Tears filled Darcy’s eyes and spilled over; she couldn’t even move to wipe them away.

Loki gave her a look of mock concern, “What is the matter my pet? Do you not care for how this turned out? You will be my queen. Isn’t that what you’ve longed for all along?” He reached through the magic with his left hand and brushed the tears from her cheek. The contact was gentle, belying the cruel words he spoke. As though he could sense her anger he chuckled, “Do you not see how much better this is? Thanos shall wipe this realm clean of the vermin that is humanity, and we shall be free to go wherever we please. Is it not better that you become mine, than to die with the rest?”

Her only thoughts were how much she’d like to kill him. His eyes narrowed. “I can see how my choice has upset you.” He leaned very close whispering in her ear. “Did you really believe that I wanted you, that I desired you? If you were to die right now, do you think that I would care or think about you for even a moment after you were gone?”

In her head, she was screaming at him. He leaned back and gave her an evil smile, “Perhaps I should allow Thanos to sacrifice you, I’d certainly be better off not having a little mortal whimpering after me, but I've always had a soft spot for naïvety.”

He stepped away from her, his magic acting as a tether, and dragging her along behind him. As she hovered above the ground, she could see the devastation left behind from the battle with the Avengers. There were so many dead SHEILD agents scattered around the park. Darcy could hardly breathe. This was all her fault. She found him in the void and brought him here. Every one of these deaths could be laid directly at her feet. Loki and Thanos were still talking but she could hardly stand to hear them speak. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the copse of trees that only partially hid the still recovering Avengers. He had even lied about that. They weren’t hidden by any spell; Thanos and The Other knew that Loki had saved them.

Her stomach was tight as Thor came into view. The god of thunder was lying on the ground, his breathing was shallow, and he looked beat to hell. Loki kept walking and came to a stop. She was hovering directly over Thor. She couldn’t see myeh-myuh anywhere. She cried because it was all she could do. He had manipulated her so perfectly; he had taken her memories and still managed to get her to have feelings for him. His sad little puppy eyes, he knew JARVIS was watching, he was putting on a show the whole damn time.  

Suddenly a thought occurred to her. He said the gauntlet would corrupt him. Maybe his behavior was because of the gauntlet. But then she remembered the misty green magic glove he put on to protect himself.    

Loki and Thanos were walking again Loki gestured broadly over the devastation. Thanos and The Other laughed. It made Darcy so angry, his casual dismissal of so many lives. As her anger grew Loki’s spell seemed to weaken. They continued to walk and chat; Thanos seemed content with Loki wearing his gauntlet now that he was certain of the god’s loyalty.

She could finally blink and work her mouth. “Damn you.” She growled. They all turned to her. Loki looked slightly shocked but immediately his mask of casual indifference was back up. “You’d better kill me because if you try to lay one damn hand on me you’ll pull back a bloody stump. You’re a monster and I hate you.” The more hate she spewed the looser the hold of his magic became.

He leaned closer as his eyes narrowed. His voice dropped to a wicked low whisper as he taunted, “That’s not the way you felt a few days ago when you came so beautifully with your hand between your thighs and my name on your lips.”

“Fuck you Loki.” She spat on his face. She struggled in the magic; she wanted to hit him so bad.

He grinned at her. “I don’t suppose you remember, but we’ve done that already. Don’t worry I didn’t find it all that memorable either.”

His magic over her broke and she launched herself at him with an inhuman growl, knocking them both to the ground. She was all teeth and claws, her fingernails tore at his face as she kneed him in the groin. He grunted when her knee made contact and struggled for a brief moment because of his shock but then he regained control. He easily subdued her, she lay face down with him draped across her back and his left hand pinning both of her hands behind her. He rutted at her backside. “Is this not your natural place, face down on the ground submitting to your god?” he panted.

Thanos’ laugh shook the ground. Loki looked up sharply, his eyes focused on something on the other side of the park, something Darcy could not see. Loki stood and hauled Darcy to her feet. Her shoulders wrenched painfully as he did not loosen his grip. Her eyes were drawn to the blood streaming down his cheek. He carefully swiped the gauntleted hand across the blood as his face split with a cruel smile, “Hellcat,” he muttered.

“Perhaps she is more trouble than she worth.” The Other offered.

“Perhaps you’re right,” Loki looked her as if he were weighing options in his mind.

Suddenly he was in motion, he pulled her close, whispered, “Close your eyes,” and threw her.

She could feel herself flying up into the air; a scream tore through her as she hit the apex of her flight and began falling towards the ground. Her breath caught as she stopped abruptly a few feet from impact. She carefully opened one eye and looked down; her body lay broken on the ground. She hovered over it surrounded by a silvery-blue glow. She began floating back towards the trees and all she could think was ‘That was a crap way to die.’ But she didn’t really feel dead.

The silvery-blue glow seemed to melt away and Darcy stood in the middle of the woods wondering what the hell happened. She pinched her arm, it hurt so she wasn’t dreaming or dead but she couldn’t figure out how it looked like her body was lying out there in the middle of the park.

“He’s fortunate I was so skilled at knattleikr as a girl. That was a terrible throw.” A beautiful blonde woman came striding through the trees. Her hair was curled and piled elegantly on her head. She wore a blue toga-looking dress and golden armor. “I do apologize, duplication magic can be a bit disorienting at first, but I had to make it look as if your body was out there.”

Darcy swallowed, “You’re Loki’s mom aren’t you?”

She smiled and took Darcy’s hands. “Yes, I am Frigga, and you must be the lovely Darcy Lewis who has so captured my Loki’s heart.”

Darcy shook her head and pulled away wringing her hands, “I’m Darcy alright, but I don’t know if he ever really cared about me. I mean he just threw my away like I was garbage. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this but he’s gone over to the dark side.”

Frigga looked at her quizzically. “Umm, he’s working for the bad guys now.” Darcy explained.

“And what would make you think that, my dear girl?” Frigga gave her a rueful smile.

“Umm, cause he called humans vermin and said Thanos was gonna wipe us out.”

“He did not say anything about doing harm himself though…”

Darcy felt slightly confused, “It’s kinda implied, don’t ya think?”

Frigga sighed, “My dear sweet girl, he is the god of lies and mischief and chaos. I know that he hurt you with his words but he has done so much good also. Is it so much easier for you to believe him to be truthful in evil things and lying in the good?”

Darcy struggled with the question, “I want to believe good in him but I mean look…” She grabbed Frigga by the arm and pulled the goddess to the edge of the trees. Darcy gasped, Loki stood beside Thanos and The Other laughing as he used his magic to toss around Thor’s limp form.

Frigga squinted at the scene before them, shook her head, grasped Darcy’s hand, and looked again. “Oh my.” She let go of Darcy’s hand.

“See?” Darcy pointed wildly at Loki.

“Oh my dear sweet child, I fear it is you who cannot see. You are one of the few who will ever be able to see through Loki’s illusions, but you have to want to.”

“What? I don’t understand.”

Frigga sighed, “I suppose you wouldn’t. The reason you began seeing Loki in your dreams is because of me. When Thor brought Loki back to Asgard there was a madness in him, I could feel his sanity slipping away. I sought help from the only ones powerful enough to help. The Norns are a trio of witches, they have been known to your people in many ways, the fates, the wyrd sisters, or even in some cultures, they were known as the triune goddess. They told me the only way to save him was to bring him together with his soul mate. So I cast my magic out over the whole of the Nine Realms with a spell that would draw his soulmate to him. My spell drew you to him.”

Darcy pulled away, overwhelmed. “What the hell! So let’s save Loki, forget about the feelings of the poor sucker that gets stuck with Senor Psycopath. You guys are all the same; Thor’s the only one I see any potential in. Sure, he didn’t start out that way but he figured it out eventually. He’s the only one that sees us as his equals. You can’t just mess around with people hearts and lives like that!”

Frigga was quiet as Darcy lost her temper. When Darcy ran out of steam Frigga quirked an eyebrow, and asked with patience. “Do you feel better now that you’ve spoken your piece?” Darcy huffed and turned away. “Again I fear you misunderstand. My spell only drew you to him the first time. You always had control over whether or not you returned.”

Darcy turned to gape at her, “What?” the word was barely more than a whisper.

“My spell gave you the power to return or not but the choice was always yours. The spell had naught to do with the feelings that developed between the two of you. I simply facilitated the first meeting.” Darcy stood stock still in shock. “Perhaps this would be easier to accept if I return your memories.” She reached to touch Darcy’s face and the younger woman recoiled.

“Wait, wait. Holy crap, that’s a lot to take in just give me a minute.” Darcy felt like the world was turning end over end on her. She took a deep breath and turned back to Frigga. “Loki said he wasn’t sure that it was even possible…”

Frigga smiled again, “My dear I have been practicing magic for nearly three times as long as he’s been alive. I think I know a bit more than my son.”  

Frigga had been nothing but kind to her and the idea made sense. Darcy was way freaked out but she nodded. Frigga directed her to sit on a fallen log and gently laid her hands on either side of Darcy’s face. Darcy felt kind of warm and woozy as images and snippets of conversations floated through her mind. She could hear Frigga muttering, “A bit ham-fisted... spent too much time training… not nearly enough time studying…” She clucked her tongue and for a moment Darcy’s head felt too full and she worried her head might actually burst open like a cartoon.

Frigga stepped back, Darcy’s vision swam, and her ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton. Her whole body wobbled as her mind struggled to sift the memories back in to place. Frigga stepped back in front of her and Darcy could see about three of her as she tried to wave her away. Darcy was certain she was about to be sick.

“Breathe dear breathe.” Frigga insisted.

Darcy grimaced and Frigga whispered, “Hmm, I think this should do the trick.” She snapped right in front of Darcy’s face and it what as if everything in her mind shifted just slightly and slid in to place.

Darcy’s head cleared and suddenly she remembered everything. Tears gathered in her eyes as all of the emotions connected to the memories flooded back as well. She curled in on herself, sobs wracking her body, his words hurt so much more with all her memories returned.

Frigga sat beside her and rubbed her back. “He loves you; all of this even, his hurtful words are because he loves you and desires to protect you. You are his soulmate. I can see through some of his illusions but you will be able to see through them all.”

Darcy sat up with a gasp. “I could see his markings, even when he looks Asgardian, I could still see and feel the ridges.”

Frigga smiled, “I knew there was something special about you.” She winked at Darcy and gently pulled her to her feet. She led Darcy back to the edge of the tree line and squeezed Darcy’s hands gently, “Now, look again.” She asked softly.

Darcy turned and it was as if she was looking at two scenes superimposed on one another. Loki stood beside Thanos and was tossing Thor like before but he was also kneeling beside an injured Thor, his magic moving over Thor’s wounds healing him. She watched as they spoke to each other. When she looked closer, the version nearest to Thanos seemed to flicker like a bad light bulb. She pulled away from Frigga. “What the heck was that?”

Frigga quirked an eyebrow, “That my dear was the truth.”

“Why didn’t he tell what he was planning? I could have helped.”

“He did ask you to stay with the others did he not?”

“Well yeah but…”

“And if he had told you his plans, would your reaction have been so authentic, your anger so pure, your hatred so bitter?”

“I guess not… I just, I just don’t know what to think.” She leaned against a tree and looked over the park. Her eyes now opened by all that she knew and felt, she could see Loki’s magic hovering over the park hiding all of the ‘dead’ SHIELD agents as they began to stir.

Frigga stood close to her, “The words he spoke to you were false, he had to find a reason, a way to ‘throw you away’ without magic, the gauntlet, or Thanos’ interference. Your hatred-filled attack gave him that reason.” They watched as the false Loki continued to talk to Thanos, and the real Loki moved quickly through the park seeing to the more injured of the agents. He stumbled as he stood and Frigga took a small involuntary step forward. “He is doing too much; he’s going to exhaust himself magically. He won’t be able to fight the pull of the gauntlet if he continues.”

The real Loki seemed to have come to the same conclusion. He paused for a moment, his body hunched over, his hands on his knees, breathing deeply. He stood pale as a ghost, walked over to his duplicate, and merged with it. There was a spell over his face hiding his poor state. He turned towards Thanos and The Other. He patted The Other firmly with the gauntleted hand and Darcy saw The Other split. An image of The Other continued to stand and talk to Loki and the real Other fell to the ground, invisible to everyone else, and most likely dead.  

Under the cover of Loki’s magic the recovered agents, Nick Fury, and the Avengers began to close in on Loki and Thanos.

Thanos twitched and looked at the image of The Other. He slashed a large hand through it dissipating it. “Do you think me a weak-minded fool, little godling? That I would not be able to see through your petty magic? You’ve killed my best general; I understand your hatred of him, from his torture and his taunting. However, I cannot allow you to continue to carry my gauntlet if I cannot trust that you will not take out your trivial grievances with it. Return my gauntlet now.” Thanos insisted.    

Loki turned again and leveled the gauntlet at Thanos. “I don’t think I will, I’ve grown quite attached to it and killing The Other may be only the first death caused by my hand today.” Loki grinned broadly. He raised his left hand sweeping away his illusions. Loki and Thanos were surrounded by the Avengers and SHEILD, all locked and loaded.

Thanos seemed surprised. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Did I not tell you already? What is a grand betrayal, without an audience?”

There was no chance for the Mad Titan to answer; Loki allowed the golden glow from the gauntlet to cover him as he directed the full force of the gauntlet’s power at Thanos. Thanos’ great body shook, as he seemed to come undone, as if every molecule separated from the other, Thanos shuddered, and simply ceased to exist.

A huge cheer went up from the crowd as Loki collapsed to the ground. Darcy and Frigga ran towards him. Several agents held Frigga back but no one seemed to notice Darcy. She pushed her way through the crowd, knelt beside Loki, rolled him unto his back, pulled his helmet off, and laid his head on her lap. He was paler than she’d ever seen; gaunt like he’d gone months without food, and the skin around his eyes looked pinched and bruised. “Oh babe, what the hell happened?” she asked softly.

His eyes slowly opened, “The gauntlet doesn’t like me; I just destroyed its master.” His voice sounded ragged. She reached over his body to take it off of him, but he pulled the gauntleted hand away. “No, don’t touch it; it would try to contaminate you as well.”

“Okay, so how do we get if off of you?”

“Is Stark around?”

“Tony!” she called as she looked through the surrounding crowd of SHIELD agents. “I’m sure he’s here somewhere.”

Loki grinned, “Don’t tell Stark but I played with his suits a bit. I made them resistant to the magic of the gauntlet in case Thanos managed to recover it.”

“Aww, I’m touched. You do care.” Tony’s voice came from over Darcy’s shoulder.

“Don’t let it go to your head Stark. The alteration to your suits was merely a contingency plan. So in the unlikely event Thanos regained the Infinity Gauntlet, there would be at least one immune to its powers. I wasn’t expecting you to break your fool neck so early in the day.”

“Ha ha, like that was I woke up hoping would happen today.” Tony snarked.

“Alright you two that’s enough. Tony would you just take the damn thing off his arm before it sucks the life out of him, please?”

Tony reached down and pulled the gauntlet off of Loki’s arm. “Hey Nicky! Look at what I found!” he shouted as he walked over to the director.  

Darcy smoothed the hair away from Loki’s face and smiled softly at him.

Loki grinned wryly up at her, “I suppose I shouldn’t risk upsetting you while in such a vulnerable state, but I must say I’m enjoying the view.”

Darcy looked down and realized what he was talking about, “Jerk! You know I’m still a little pissed at you for all the crap you said back there." her eyes narrowed, "And how the hell did you know what happened Saturday night?”

“I may have snuck into your apartment and witnessed it in person. Stark said he didn’t think you’d mind.”

“TONY!” Darcy yelled.

Tony looked over at Darcy and Loki, knew he was in trouble, gave them a crooked smile, and said, “Oh hey, I almost forgot I’m supposed to go let Pepper know what’s going on.” He powered up the repulsors and flew off towards the tower.

Darcy scowled. “Okay little suggestion; never take advice about relationships from Tony, he sucks at relationships.”

“Funny he said nearly the same thing. You’re not going to yell at me are you? I’m still feeling so terribly weak.” Loki pulled a sad pouty face.

Darcy looked down at him; he was using a spell to make himself look far more run down than he was. In fact, he seemed to be recovering remarkably quickly. She leaned down very close and whispered in his ear. “It’s too bad you’re feeling so poorly, I had planned to do such naughty things with you to celebrate since my memory returned and I wanted…”

Suddenly they were both standing, he had his arms wrapped around her, and hope bright in his eyes. “Your memories have returned?”

She smiled brightly tears in her eyes, “You mom fixed them. I remember everything.”

Loki grinned and threaded a hand into her hair. “That blessed woman, remind me to thank her later, much much later.” His voice dropped to a hoarse whisper as he leaned down…

“See, I told you the gauntlet would not kill you,” Thor’s booming voice startled her and they both looked up sharply.

Thor was standing just inside the ring of agents surrounding them, Frigga tucked neatly under his arm. Though whether she was holding him up, or he was supporting her, was difficult to tell.

“Thank you Thor. Your timing as always is impeccable.” Loki growled. Darcy giggled.

“I am glad the two of you have set things right. Love can conquer many things, right many wrongs.” Thor beamed. “Speaking of which where is my Jane? This is a time for celebrations.”

Darcy and Loki shared a guilty look. “Well big guy, we kinda trapped her at the tower so she’d be safe.” Darcy shrugged.

Thor gave them a disappointed look. “I had promised her she could be here, that I would keep her safe.”

“Well JARVIS locked us in the tower this morning, and then when we finally busted out and got here Tony had him take us back.” Darcy grinned at Loki, “Of course he had his own plans.”

“Loki…” Thor began.

Suddenly the majority of the agents turned, recognition dawning on their faces.

“Thank you so much Thor, for ruining my anonymity spell.” Loki growled, the now fully armed agents began closing in. “Change of plans, min elskede, close your eyes.”

As the disorienting feeling washed over her, Darcy smiled. She had no idea where they were going, they still had a lot of issues to work on, but she was happy to go wherever he wanted to take her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, so marathon posting! I hope everyone enjoyed the last few chapters. I will have chap 24 up next Monday and 25/epilogue on the week following that.
> 
> I've had an absolute blast with this story! I really appreciate everyone who's taken the time to write out reviews.


	24. Chapter 24

She felt everything settle and stood still for a moment just enjoying being wrapped in his arms. She felt his heavy ornate armor fade away. The only thing between her cheek and his chest then was a soft linen tunic. She opened her eyes, and looked around; she was actually a little disappointed, they were back in her apartment. “Huh, I kinda figured you’d pick someplace exotic.” She mused.

He quirked an eyebrow. “I do have someplace lovely in mind. However, I thought you may have things you might want to take with you, or perhaps you might want to leave a note for Dr. Foster or Stark so they would not worry over you?”

“Oh babe, that’s so thoughtful!” She gave him a peck on the cheek. “You’re right, that’s a really good idea. I don’t want Tony busting down our door in his Iron Man suit just because we took off and didn’t let anyone know.” She moved quickly around the apartment gathering a few necessary things.

Ipod… check

Laptop… check

Cellphone… check

Chargers for all three… check

She hurried through her bedroom, the clothes, and other less important things she stuffed into a book bag. She took less than five minutes to gather everything and turned around, she felt like she was missing something. She rifled through a drawer in her desk for pen and paper. She jotted down a quick note for Jane and left it taped to her TV. Loki was still in her living room. She grabbed a light jacket from the back of her door, and looked up.

Loki’s smile had fled, he looked troubled. “Are you certain this is what you want?” he asked quietly. “If you come with me now our lives may be chaotic for some time. Thanos had allies that will not be pleased with my actions, Jotunheim is likely still crying out for retribution, SHEILD will not forgive lightly my mistakes in regards to New York, and technically I escaped imprisonment from Asgard.”

Darcy crossed her arms, leaned back against the wall, and smirked, “Wow, that’s quite a record, wanted in three realms, and by the baddies of the universe. I guess if I were a smart girl I’d tuck tail and run.” His gaze dropped. “Lucky for you, I like roller coasters.”

His eyebrows furrowed, “What?”

“I said it a while ago and I stand by it now. It’s never gonna be easy between us but it’s gonna be one helluva ride!” She began to laugh.

His eyes darkened and he had a wicked smirk, “And do you recall what happened shortly after you said that?” He prowled across the room towards her.

She nodded as she watched him move, the way his hips moved, his swagger, damn the man was the very definition of sex on legs. Her breath caught as she saw through even that. He was putting on a show, he wanted her to desire him because he was unsure of whether she truly still wanted to be with him or not.

He invaded her space, hands flat on the wall on either side of her head, his body inches from her own, his strong arms caging her in. He had all the moves of a self-assured predator, but all she saw was the vulnerable lonely guy whose only desire was to be completely and totally accepted.

“Loki…” she gasped as a phrase that she was unfamiliar with flooded her mind. She was fairly certain it was put there in the few moments Frigga was messing with her head. She had never heard it before but knew precisely what it meant.

When she went silent, a sadness seemed to fall over him and he started to pull back.

She looked up and smiled. “Jeg er min elskede, og han er min,” she whispered.

His eyes went wide, “How could you… do you… are you…” he stuttered.

Darcy laid a gentle hand on his mouth. “Your mom clarified a few things for me while she was in my mind, returning my memories.Yes, I know what it means and I mean every single word of it.I am my beloved’s and he is mine.”  

Gone was every pretense, he stood before her raw and ready to accept her truth. She had seen his every weakness, his darkness, and his manipulations, and yet she loved him in spite of, and even perhaps because of them.

“Babe, I need you to know, I’m not always a good person. I have my own faults, I’m a real bitch before I have my morning coffee, I can be stubborn, and I can be really possessive. I don’t approach this lightly. Can you accept me as I am?”

He gently removed her hand, “Darcy, those are the words of a binding ceremony. If I agree to them, you will be bound to me and no other, for the remainder of your life. Are you certain you wish for me to answer?”

She nodded, “I wouldn’t have asked it if I wasn’t sure and since I’ve already accepted you, we’re kinda already half-way there.”

He smiled brightly, “Yes, Darcy Lewis of Midgard, I accept you completely and wholeheartedly.” He leaned down and captured her lips in a hot needy kiss. Her hands fisted in his tunic and pulled him flush against her. He pressed into her, his hands rough and possessive. His kisses were all consuming; there was no part of her mouth unexplored. His knee slid between her legs and she hitched one leg around his hip and ground against him.

Her hands snaked up and she buried them in his long dark hair. He grabbed her other leg and wrapped it around his hips as well. Her ankles locked behind him. His hands dropped to her ass and he pressed her to the wall. The seam of her tight blue jeans rubbed just right on her clit every time they came together. Darcy let out a tiny gasp of pleasure.

His hands ghosted down her body and suddenly she could feel flesh on flesh. Her eyes popped open and she let out a shuddering moan as his cock brushed her sensitive folds.

Her head fell back heavily against the wall as he reached in the scant space between them his nimble fingers dipped into her sodden core. She was a mess of need and want.

“Loki, please…” she pleaded.

He nodded and without preamble, took himself in hand, lined up, and thrust in.

She cried out at the glorious friction. His head dropped to her shoulder and he breathed deeply, his cool breath dancing across her skin. She shivered, his cool skin pressed against her, his breath on her neck, her nipples were tight, and his cock stretched her so perfectly. He pulled out slowly and she whimpered, she felt nearly overwhelmed by him.

“You’re so wet, your skin flushed and your beautiful lips cherry red from our kisses,” His voice was raspy and low, he slid slowly back out and thrust in sharply, drawing a long loud moan from her. He straightened up and looked her in the eye. He must have been pleased with whatever he saw for his lips spread into a smug smile. He leaned back down and whispered in her ear, “You’re so close aren’t you min elskede,” His hips moved so slowly as he pressed back into her, his cock sliding past her clit along the way. His slow pace brought her back from the edge a bit.

He fucked her slowly drawing out their pleasure. He threw his head back, the tendons his long neck stretched out. Her head dipped down and she kissed and licked at his pulse point. As his pace began to increase, she clutched at him. Her fingernails raked across his back and he pulled back and thrust rapidly in and out, his pace becoming frantic. She was pinned to the wall by his cock and his strength. His breathing came in ragged pants. He was drawing as close to his climax as she was.

“Bite me.” He ordered.

Her eyes popped open. “What?”

He made an inarticulate noise of frustration, and his motions stilled. “Bite me, draw blood, scar me, mark me as your own.” He growled.

“I can’t…”

“You must, it is the last part of the bonding ceremony.”

“No babe, it’s not that I don’t want to.” Her hand cupped his cheek gently. “I mean I don’t think I can scar you. I scratched the crap out of you earlier, you were bleeding and everything, and there’s no mark.”

His hand came to rest over hers and he chuckled. “Some parts of my magic are instinctual. I am a bit vain and so I have never allowed myself to be scarred. Anything you do in this moment will be permanent.”

She nodded and took his left hand from covering her own. She curled his fingers and sucked his ring finger into her mouth. He groaned when she hollowed her cheeks and her tongue wrapped around his digit. He began thrusting again and the fingers of his right hand dug into the flesh of her ass when her sharp teeth pressed against the base of his finger.

The harder he thrust, the harder she bit down. His desire built and he dipped his head down to the scar on her neck, he sucked on it and felt her inner muscles clench. He threw his head back when he felt her finally pierce his flesh. He pulled her leg up higher and his thrusts were almost violent.

Blood seeped into her mouth and the coppery taste didn’t disturb her nearly as much as she had thought it would. He pulled her leg up and the new angle was all the more she needed. She came, her orgasm raging through her. Her pussy clamped down on him, and she released his finger, as she too threw her head back, her mouth tinged red and open in a silent scream. He pressed into her one last time almost crushing her into the wall as his hips flexed a few last times as he dropped his head back to the crux of her neck and panted heavily.

“Damn,” she groaned. “I sure hope you can hold us both up for a while, cause I don’t think I’m gonna be able to walk for a bit.”

He chuckled and his breath tickled her neck, “I’m certain I will be strong enough for both of us.”

“So, you know you owe me a ring, right?” She languidly stroked his hair.

He raised his head slowly, his eyes half-lidded and his smile beautifully spent. “And why would I owe you a ring min elskede?”

“Well cause, I’m guessing a bonding ceremony is kinda like getting married.” It was framed as a statement but he could see the question in her eyes and nodded. “We did this kinda bass-ackwards.” She laughed. “You’re supposed to ask me if I want to get married, give me an awesome ring, have an awkward talk with my family to get permission, and then we’d have a wedding.” She carefully started to lower her legs, her muscles protesting the whole way.

He held her gently as she disentangled herself. “If that is what you desire, then you shall have a ring.”

Her knees buckled a bit as she tried to stand. She laughed as he held her up, his bloody hand smearing on her hip. “We should probably get tha…”

There was a heavy knock on her front door. “Darcy?!” She heard Tony call for her.

Loki stood straight and his magic clothed them right away, his magic even renewed her strength some. She opened her mouth to respond but Loki shook his head. “ _I’ve cloaked us with magic, he can’t actually know we’re here, he’s merely guessing._ ”

Darcy nodded.

“Hey, just trying to give you two a heads up, Fury’s looking for you. You may want disappear for a while. I’ll get Thor to help and we’ll smooth it over with SHIELD. I’ll figure out how get word to you when we got it taken care of.” Darcy could hear the smirk in Tony’s smile. “Oh and by the way, JARVIS figured out how to track you even through your fancy cloaking spell, so I know you’re in there.”

Darcy took the few steps and opened her front door. Tony was leaning on her doorframe; he had taken off the Iron Man suit and was in faded blue jeans and an old AC/DC t-shirt. She couldn’t help it; she threw herself, on him and hugged him. “Thanks for the heads up, big bro.” she whispered into his neck.

He pulled back with a big smile, “Aww, Reindeer Games figured out how to get your memories back.” He tucked Darcy to his side and gave Loki a hard look, “Alright, so me and Darce had this conversation a while back and now that she’s all back to herself I gotta let you know, I’m stepping in here as a pseudo big brother. If you break her heart, I’ll break you, kapeesh?”

Loki simply rolled his eyes, “Even with your armor, you are no threat to me, Stark. But you have no reason for concern; Darcy will remain safe in my care.”

Tony looked satisfied with Loki’s answer, “You two better get going, Fury’s been hounding me for info, he’s pretty sure you two were coming back here. Personally I told him, I thought you two were headed someplace like the Bahamas or Paris. So I wouldn’t recommend going there either.”

“How are you gonna let us know when it’s safe to come back?” Darcy quirked an eyebrow.

“I’ll call you or something.”

“Cell phones are traceable Tony.”

Loki raised his hands, “Give me both of your phones.”

Darcy reached over, pulled hers out of her purse, and handed it to Loki. Loki turned expectantly to Tony, who grimaced.

“I don’t like anybody messing with my tech.”

Darcy put her hands on her hips. “Seriously? You willingly collaborated with him to save the world but you don’t want him to touch your phone?” When Tony still looked like he was going to be stubborn, Darcy walked up to him pretended to hug him for a brief moment, reached into his back pocket, pulled out his phone, and handed it to Loki. “There you go.”

Tony rounded on Darcy with a dirty look, “Traitor.”

Loki walked over to the counter and began tinkering with the phones. “Aww come on Tony, you know he isn’t gonna do anything wrong to them.”

“Memories back for less than a day and you’re already taking the god’s side. Nice to see how I measure up.” Tony joked.

“Not very well, apparently,” Loki smirked; he stood behind Tony looking pointedly down on the shorter man.

“Very funny.” Tony snatched his phone away from the God.

“I thought it was very amusing.” Loki handed Darcy her phone and she looked at it.

“What’d you do? It doesn’t look any different.”

“I made the phones untraceable and because we may not remain here on Midgard, I extended their range. You should be able to contact each other no matter the realm now.”

“Holy shit! You sonic’d them? That’s so cool!”

Loki looked confused but Tony lit up. “A fellow whovian!” Tony gave Darcy a fist bump.

“Sir, Agent Hill is in the building and is making her way with an armed contingent up to this floor as we speak.”

“That would be our cue to leave, thank you for the warning Stark. Darcy?”

She grabbed her bags and gave Tony a quick peck on the cheek. “Tell Jane I said sorry for not saying goodbye.”

She rushed to Loki’s side. He leaned down, whispered something in her ear, and she giggled. Loki held her tight; she closed her eyes and shouted, “Bye Tony!” and they both faded from sight.

Tony smiled as they disappeared. He headed out to meet Hill at the elevators.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The tiniest shift happened in the atmosphere when Loki left with Darcy, imperceptible to almost all. In the elevator the woman known as Maria Hill, allowed herself a tiny smirk. The younger Prince should not have taken so long to leave. If Coulson or Fury had responded to the tip-off that Loki was in Stark Tower, they would have been there far sooner. Lucky for the prince she was not who she seemed. Once the handmaiden of the Queen, she had been sent to earth nearly a decade earlier to see to the Queen’s interests. The queen’s vision in her scrying pool had told her of two young women that would become quite important to two young princes.


	25. Chapter 25/ Epilouge

Vanaheim was gorgeous. They had spent almost two months realm hopping, and finally settled in Vanaheim for the last few weeks. Turns out Frigga still had some connections to folks on her home realm, and they were set up in a beautiful home with servants and everything.

It was like something straight out of Lord of the Rings. The home they were staying in was carved directly out of a cliff face and there was a waterfall on one side. They were nestled in a small valley, surrounded by nature. It was spring here, the trees were in bloom, and it was magnificent.

Yet Darcy felt awful. Loki had disappeared three days earlier, saying he had to run a quick errand. She’d contracted some kind of stomach bug, and she’d accidently puked on Frigga.

She had been quite worried when Loki hadn’t come back the first night so she’d called Tony to see if he or Thor had heard from Loki. They hadn’t of course, which made her worry more, which made her nausea worse.

The day after that, Frigga had shown up unexpectedly, and clucked her tongue and helped Darcy back to her bed. Darcy had spent most of her second night alone in the bathroom. Frigga had graciously offered to heal Darcy, but after doing some magic, smiled softly, and told her it was just one of those things that would pass with time. Frigga had questioned Darcy about the nature of Loki’s errand, for which Darcy had no real answer. Darcy dozed off and when she woke up Frigga was holding a cool cloth on her forehead. They had talked some more, and then embarrassingly Darcy’s lunch decided come back.

Frigga had been kind and helped Darcy to the bathroom, called a servant in to clean the room, and then left to change herself. Darcy was certain that if it was possible to die of mortification she would have dropped right then.

So the next morning when she woke up and felt Loki lying in front of her on the bed she wasn’t exactly overjoyed that he was back. The nausea was still there and so she endeavored to move as little as possible. She poked him… hard. “Hey, where the hell have you been?” she hissed.

He squirmed on the bed moving to face her, jostling her in the process. She closed her eyes, grit her teeth, and breathed through her nose until the nausea calmed some. When she finally opened her eyes, his face was a study in worry and concern. “Oh you so do not get to give me that look right now. I am seriously pissed at you. Running an errand, really? That usually means a couple of hours at most, not three frickin days!”

“I do apologize for the delay. We have been on the run since we left Stark Tower but something you said there has been troubling me. I am unfamiliar with Midgardian customs so I went to Midgard to ask Stark about it,”

Darcy scowled.

“…who directed me to Ms. Potts.”

This seemed to relieve Darcy.

“She explained as you had said that we had indeed done things in reverse order. So I’ve been busy seeing to a few things on Midgard, then I visited with Thor to make a request of him. And last, I went to Asgard to speak with Mother and Od… Father,” he faltered.

Another wave of nausea hit her and she had to roll onto her back until it passed. Her view of the sun-dappled ceiling was interrupted by his concerned face hovering over her.

“Are you ill?”

“No I’m training for the fucking winter Olympics,” she deadpanned. “Yes, I’m ill. I’ve had some kind of nasty stomach bug for almost the whole time you’ve been gone.” He sat crossed legged beside her and his hands moved over her body in a familiar pattern. “Your mom already did that. She said it was just one of those things that would pass with time.”

He frowned, “Ridiculous. Anything can be healed; there is no reason to have to endure an illness when it can be…” His hands froze, and his head quirked to the side. The pattern he was weaving above her changed and his eyebrows shot up. He looked at her, at his hands, back at her, and practically jumped off of the bed.

“Oh no, am I contagious? Cause, I really like that girl Mila and she’s been around a lot helping out, and I’d hate for her to get…”

Loki was pacing, his hand fisted in the hair at the nape of his neck, he looked almost terrified.

She swallowed hard. “Loki…” He didn’t respond “Babe?” He was starting to freak her out. She struggled to sit up. Almost immediately, he was by her side urging her to lie back down. “Holy shit, I’m not contagious, I’m fucking dying!” Tears welled in her eyes.

He shook his head, he laughed, but there were tears in his eyes. “No min elskede, you’re not dying.” He knelt on the floor by her side of the bed.

“Then what the hell is going on?”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. He swallowed and opened the box to reveal a beautiful ring. “Darcy, I have come to find that you are my everything. You are the light that pulled me from darkness, and my anchor in the times of storm. I love you beyond reason and would be overjoyed if you would be my wife...”

Her eyes welled with tears. “Oh, babe…”

He held up a golden apple with the other hand. “…as long as we _both_ shall live.”

“Is that?” she gasped.

“Yes, I received it from Odin yesterday. Quite unexpectedly, though now that I know mother was here I understand better his reason for granting it to you so quickly.”

She slowly pulled herself to sitting her open hands resting on her knees. He knelt before her, ring in one hand, a golden apple of Idun, in the other. She tried to smile through her tears. “Will the apple cure whatever’s wrong with me?”

He laughed and placed both in her open hands. “Is that a yes?” he asked softly.

“Yes,” it was hardly more than a breath of a word.

He curled her loose fingers around the apple and raised it to her mouth. “You have no need of healing, min elskede…” His voice was thick and he smiled brightly. “You are with child.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Six years later…

Loki was thrilled with the news, Darcy… not so much. A wide smile split his face as he guided Darcy down the long hallway. Her arms coiled tightly around his waist as his arm rested lightly on her shoulders. Her face was pale and she seemed to be in slight shock.

She began to worry, “I don’t think I can do this babe. It’s just too much, I’m…”

“Shh, we’re almost to Annorah’s room. I’m certain you will be fine. Do not fret, she is likely asleep, and you’ll wake her needlessly.”

Darcy let go of his waist and stopped walking. “How can you be so calm about this?” He opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off. “I know why. Because you won’t have to…”

“Momma?” a soft voice called.

Loki gave Darcy an ‘I told you so’ sort of look as their daughter came out of her room rubbing sleepy eyes.

“Hey baby girl. I’m sorry did I wake you up with my fussing?” Darcy crooned as she swept the tiny five-year-old up into her arms. The girl tucked her face into the crook of her mother’s neck as Darcy rubbed her back.

Loki gave Darcy a stern look. “You should not…”

Darcy cut her eyes at him. “Don’t you dare.” She hissed. “I will…”

“Momma?” Annorah’s sleepy voice cut through Darcy’s rant.

“Sorry honey. Let’s get you back to sleep.” Darcy and Loki crept into the little girl’s room. Darcy laid her down and reclined on the bed beside her. Loki took his usual place, sitting on the other side of his little girl. Darcy began to hum as she stroked Annorah’s dark hair.

There was a look of excitement on Loki’s face, he could hardly wait to tell Annorah, but Darcy shook her head and frowned. Without a word, her thoughts were clear. The news would have to wait till morning. It was well after the five-year-olds bedtime, and sharing the news right now would cause too much excitement and their daughter would not be able to fall back asleep.

Loki and Darcy continued this silent battle of wills as Annorah lay between them.

Annorah looked up at her parents. At only five years old, it was difficult for her to understand why they bickered so much. In her youthful eyes, love meant always getting along. At least that’s what it seemed like. After all, she was constantly told not to fight with her four-year-old cousin, Magnus. She reached out and took one of her mother’s hands and one of her father’s. She looked up at Darcy as she joined their hands.

“Momma, you said I’m not ‘aposed to fight with Magni, cause I love him.” She gave her mother a mockery of the stern look she was normally on the receiving end of. “If you love Daddy, you not ‘aposed to fight with him.”

Darcy squeezed Loki’s hand affectionately and smiled. “You’re right sweetheart I’m not supposed to fight with Daddy. Sometimes even grown-ups forget that.”

Loki slid a bit further down on the bed, laying his head beside his daughter’s. “How did you get so smart, little one?”

“Momma always says my smart mouth came from you, Daddy.” The little girl said with a sleepy yawn. Loki looked at Darcy who was trying very hard not to laugh out loud.

“Is that right?”Loki quirked an eyebrow at Darcy. Annorah nodded as she yawned again.

Darcy’s shoulders shook as she laughed silently. Her head tipped back and she lost her balance, falling to the floor beside the bed. Where she promptly lost her composure and began outright guffawing.

When she fell, Loki carefully leaned over Annorah, his face a mask of concern.

Struggling to find her self-control again, Darcy managed to gasp out between laughs, “It’s alright, I landed on my butt!” Loki rolled his eyes and lay back beside Annorah.

Still giggling, Darcy managed to pull herself up and leaned over to plant a light kiss on Annorah’s forehead. “I think I’m going to out in the hall for a moment and I’ll let Daddy sing you to sleep, okay Nora?”

Annorah nodded sleepily and cuddled closer to her daddy. Darcy smiled at the image of the god of mischief curled around his little girl. She pulled the door almost shut as she continued to chuckle. She leaned against the door, and as she calmed she could hear Loki’s voice singing softly. Her eyes drifted shut and she breathed a contented sigh. He was chaos, but it was always beautiful chaos.

“So I take you received good news from Eir?”

Darcy gasped;Frigga’s soft question startled her. She smiled ruefully and nodded. “Yeah. Well kinda, but I think I’ll wait until he comes out here to give you all the details.”

They waited in companionable silence, listening to Loki sing a lullaby. A few minutes later, he opened the door and crept out on silent feet.  

He smiled at his mother and placed a light kiss on the cheek. “So has Darcy told you the good news yet?” Frigga shook her head, as Darcy grimaced.

“I take it you do not share Loki’s opinion that the news is good.” Frigga’s eyebrow rose.

Darcy sighed. “It’s not bad, I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed by it at the moment.”

“Well gracious child, just tell me already.” Frigga chuckled.

“Twin boys, due on April Fool’s Day.”

Frigga beamed, “Oh my dear that is wonderful news!” she faltered at the slightly panicked look on Darcy’s face. “Carrying two will not be too much more difficult than carrying one. And as to after, you will have plenty of help my dear.” Frigga smiled patiently.

Darcy sighed. How could she explain this awkward feeling, this sense of imminent mischievousness, to two Asgardians who had never even heard of Harry Potter? Twin boys, due on April Fool’s Day, and their father was the god of chaos and lies?

She was going to need **A LOT** of help indeed to keep this Mischief Managed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“They eloped! Are you fucking kidding me?” Tony sat heavily on his couch.

Loki stood with his back mostly to them, but Tony could still see the smirk on the god’s face.

“They just wanted a tiny ceremony. Just the two of them and some family. God, Tony if you’d have just listened to Kara three weeks ago maybe this wouldn’t have happened.” Darcy sat beside him wringing her hands.

“Hey, missy.” Tony shook his finger at Darcy. “You know this had to have been all Nari’s fault.” Tony sighed. “Who am I kidding, she’s my spawn, nobody could ever convince Kara to do anything she didn’t want to do.” Tony slumped back against the couch, he looked defeated.

It had been almost thirty years since Loki and Darcy had disappeared from his tower. So much had happened since that day so long ago…

Thor and Jane popped out a couple of kids, a son, and a daughter. Tony and Pepper finally got married and had Kara. JARVIS got a nasty virus and tried to take over the world; that had really sucked. Loki had come back and worked with the Avengers for a while. Bruce had worked tirelessly on a cure for himself, and came up with one, but not before accidently passing on his Hulk powers via blood transfusion to his cousin, Jennifer Walters. Clint had died in an explosion about twenty-five years ago and Steve and Natasha had gotten together a few years later and had a son shortly after that. Darcy and Loki had three kids, a daughter and twin sons, Nari and Vali. About fifteen years ago, some big threats had hit earth and after they finally passed, everyone had moved back into the tower. Their kids had grown up together, gone to school together, so truly it was to no one’s surprise that a few of them dated.

He looked over at Darcy; she sat beside him, fretting over their children’s decision same as him. Tony ran a hand through his mostly gray hair. Jane and Darcy got apples of immortality; Steve had super serum, and whatever they did to Natasha in the red room kept her from aging. God, Tony sighed, it made him feel freaking old. Tony and Bruce were the only ones that looked older.

“Kara’s gonna get one of those magic apples right?” Tony narrowed his eyes, he didn’t get to walk his baby girl down the aisle but he was going to make sure that if she had to marry an Asgardian prince she damn well better reap the benefits.

Darcy sighed, “Yeah, since the Odin’s passed the throne onto Thor, I sure he’ll take care of it soon. If Odin were still awake there may have been some debate, but he’s in the Odin-sleep right now so Thor has free reign.”

Tony huffed beside her.

“Hey, I know your little girl just eloped but you’re not the only one affected here. I got left out of my son’s wedding too.” Darcy elbowed Tony in the side.

“Hey, be easy on me I’m an old man,” Tony grumbled.

“And who would give you a hard time if I didn’t?” Darcy grinned.

Loki appeared, leaning over the back of the couch. He was right between them. “Do not worry Stark, if Darcy falters in being a pain in your backside, I will take up the mantle.”

Tony scowled. “Oh, how kind of you Reindeer Games, but I told you before I don’t swing that way. Besides in another twenty years or so and I won’t around for you to bug.”

“Ahh, but you see that would be where you would be wrong. Since Darcy’s only blood family died in that tragic accident so many years ago, she had only one request of the current King of Asgard. That he would grant her pseudo big brother an apple.” Loki twisted his hand and a golden apple appeared.

“Seriously?” Tony’s eyes were wide with excitement.

“Yep.” Darcy grinned.

“Oh hell yeah!” He took the apple and lifted it like a toast. “To a long and happy life!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh... I've completed it... I'm still in shock. 
> 
> I actually finished this a few day ago but I couldn't bring myself to post it. I don't want to be done with this story because I love tasertricks so much but I know this story is finished. I may make it into a series with a few little one-shots to fill in some places and use a few scenes that were in my head but didn't really fit in the flow of the story. 
> 
> I want to say thank you to jenefaner, RhianJones, mewlingquimlover, and marshmallowdeviant, for their consistent and uplifting reviews! And thank you to everyone else too. 
> 
> If anyone has any suggestions or requests for one-shots or if you see any unanswered questions, or plot holes, just leave it in the reviews.
> 
> Thank you, thank you, thank you all, for the wonderful ride! Love You Bunches!!!!


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